Phasing Moon
by Gabyta 23
Summary: Nessie and Jacob are in love but unaware of the other one's feelings. Jacob has kept his imprinting a secret from Nessie, hoping she'll make up her mind on her own. Will they finally discover each other's feelings? Story is better than summary, I promise!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. I do not own any of the characters or storylines of the Twilight series; I'm just a fan having fun with her amazing characters. **

**This is my first fan-fiction ever!!! It's the first time I've dared put something in writing, because I'm fascinated by the whole Jacob-Nessie story. Please review and tell me what you think, I have great respect for all the writers in this site and would greatly appreciate your comments. Hope you enjoy!!!**

**Chapter 1**

_I'm walking through the forest, the soft wet leafs caress my body and I can hear even from this distance the rushing stream. I know this is a dream, it has to be, because I can't smell anything, which is highly unlikely for someone like me, but I don't care; it feels good to dreamwalk in the forest. As I get closer to the stream, my heart starts racing faster than it usually beats; I feel anticipation but don't quite understand why, because this is a new dream, one I've never had before. And then I realize what the fuss was about… right next to the stream I see a huge furry russet figure, the sheer size of him and the fact that from my view I can make out his intimidating teeth and overbearing muzzle, would scare any living creature, but not me. He looks up at me, his dark eyes penetrate me with such force that I wake up, but not before uttering his beautiful name… Jacob, my Jacob. _

**Nessie's POV**

I opened my eyes. From the brightness in my room I realize it's earlier than I usually wake up on a Saturday morning. Sitting up in my bed I carefully listened to see if my parents were home, quickly realizing of course how absurd this is, considering vampires hardly make any noise when sitting still. So I decide to rely on my best sense, my sense of smell. Nope, not home. I love my parents to death, they are the most amazing people in the world, but right now I'm thrilled they're at the "Big House", because that means I have a better chance of making my escape.

You would think that having a small army of indestructible vampires as a family, not to mention an almost indestructible body of my own, that my parents would be carefree and confident in my safety. That of course, is not the case. My father, whom my mother calls "the most overprotective man in the world" is constantly watching over me. If my mom as a human ever thought my father was just too much, she's lucky she didn't have to put up with what I do. Which brings me to my beloved momma, the most breathtakingly beautiful woman I know, who of course has no idea just how gorgeous she is and who has, regrettably, picked up on my dad's nasty protective habit, probably stemming from the fact that she had to fight to keep me alive once in her belly and another while I was just an infant, because of the Voltury, making me her precious gift from God. It is because of their overactive nature that I have to stoop as low as to sneak away every once in a while rather than ask for the permission that will surely be denied.

I got up quickly and went straight to my closet. When it comes to clothes, I am definitely not my mother's daughter, much to my aunts' amusement. It probably has to do with the fact that Aunt Alice always, and I mean always, gets what she wants, and this case, she had a hand in my wardrobe since birth, so some of it had to have rub off on me over the years. I'm definitely not concerned with designer clothes or the latest fashions, but I do love to go shopping and prefer to wear pretty dresses rather than sweats. It's a good thing a have vampire-like memory, because your average teenager would get lost for days in my over the top size closet; so I go for one of the doors and locate and put on a lime green sundress with spaghetti straps and embroidered leaves on the fringe. There is one thing however that does drive Aunt Alice crazy about my wardrobe, and that is my preference to go barefoot. Its a little habit I picked up from Jacob who almost never wears shoes. Alice still to this day growls at him every time I come around the big house barefoot – "My beautiful little niece is not a DOG" was one of the comments that got big laughs later on in La Push by all the guys, except Jacob, who was tremendously surprised by hearing Alice, who has always really liked him, use the word "dog" in the same tone as my aunt Rosalie.

I looked in the mirror to do a quick check up. These days I look like a fully grown 17 year old, weird considering I'm only 5 years old. In a year and a half I'll be fully grown and stop developing. I look a lot like my dad, my features and my body's build (I'm taller than all the women in my family); the only thing that is not Edward Cullen are my eyes, exactly like my mother's when she was human. I sometimes catch my dad looking into them, not really seeing me but remembering how my mother used to be. I once heard him say that the only two things he misses about human Bella are watching her sleep and the brown chocolate color that her eyes used to have. It feels nice to know that my mother's humanity, that her human self was not lost, but lives on in me. And then of course we get to my hair. I know I have my Grandpa Charlie's hair and should feel proud, but honestly, sometimes it can be a pain. It's so curly it gets knots everywhere and its volume sometimes gets in the way of my peripheral vision when hunting. Today however, it looks silky and smooth, thank God.

Without staling any longer I leaped straight out of my window, landing in a silent crouch. One quick view towards the big house to check if I've been caught and I'm off like a bullet toward my destination, La Push. I was enjoying my run so much that I barely noticed when I arrived just 20 feet away from Jacob's little house. And then I started to walk tiptoe, like a lioness stalking her pray. This is a game we started when I was barely an infant, seeing who can be stealthier and sneak up on the other. I almost never win of course; Jacob is far more experienced and says he can smell me a mile away. The few times I have surprised him, I'm pretty sure he saw it coming and let me win, because his reactions to the "surprise" have been over the top and melodramatic, which gives it away. I actually don't mind, it makes me happy to think that a big dangerous thing like him would play along just to make a silly little girl like me laugh. Because that's all I am to him, a little girl, his little sister, the daughter of his best friend, nothing more. My feelings for him are stupid and childish, I know this; why out of all the men in the world did I have to go and fall for the one who probably changed my diapers and babysat me. Stupid growth spurt and stupid werewolf who never ages!!! Normal people would not have this problem, Jacob would be all grown up and I would be able to see him for what he is, just another uncle and surrogate parent.

I rounded the corner of his house and slowly peeked through his bedroom window. Nothing. Then I heard it, the husky almost bark of a laugh that can make even my darkest day shine. Dammit. I turned around to see Jacob coming out from behind a tree, his laughter echoing in the forest. He was only wearing his boxers, obviously not having enough time to get dressed while he hid from me; it took all of my self control not to throw myself at him. By now, I knew every muscle in his sculptural chest, every crease, the tone of his skin, but still the sight of him left me breathless.

"That's not fair!!!" – I screeched like a child, regretting it immediately. - "What gave me away?!!"

"Ah Nessie, you smell so good it woke me up." - A big grin spreading across his angelic face. – "So, are you ever going to just accept that I, Jacob Ephrain Black, am invincible?"

"You only won because I'm only half vampire, any one of my relatives, including little Aunt Alice, could kick your butt, so don't get cocky puppy"

He started walking towards me, a devilish half smile forming in his face. He only looked at me when his face was inches away from mine. I could feel the heat radiating from him and hoped my mother's tendency to blush when still human would not show its ugly face.

"Speaking of the bloodsuckers… do they know you're here?" – He lowered his voice to say this, making it sound naughty, which brought goose-bumps all over my body. He was looking at me so intently that I staggered a bit when I tried to answer. He seemed to notice my reaction and quickly backed away, looking at the ground instead of me. Why was he reacting this way? Jacob never backed up when teasing, not even when threatened with painful and certain death in the case of Aunt Rosalie.

"You know Nessie, your family loves you, they would never dare hurt you… I on the other hand am in big danger if they find your gone and with me" – He said it without really meaning it, cause we both know that my entire family loves him and that momma would tear their limbs apart if they ever touched him. Nevertheless, his interest in my breaking the rules rather than the fact that I was here upset me.

"Ah, come on Jacob!!! I haven't seen you all week!!! With school and my dad's piano lessons, aunty Alice's shopping trips, uncle Em's baseball practices and momma's cooking lessons, God, and on top of it all my insane curfew, I haven't had any time to come see you, it was now or never, aren't you glad to see me?" – Jacob's smile went away and I wanted to kick myself for causing him anything that would make him stop smiling.

"Ness, how can you ask me that? Don't you know?" – He paused, as if restraining himself from saying something. "Ness, I… I miss you like crazy when I can't see you. You're my… my…" – and then he said it, shattering whatever fools hope my heart had been harboring. -"You're my kid sister, my best friend, my family".

"I can't think of a happy memory of my life that doesn't have you in it". –This was true of course; we always seemed connected in a magical way, like our lives were always meant to be entwined, like two magnets unable to stay apart, gravitating toward each other. Why else would he hang around a house full of vampires, his "mortal enemies", and why else would he have risked his pack when my life was in danger from the Voltury. He truly loves me, I know this… but at that moment, the words "kid sister" echoed in my ears and stung as if he would have told me he hated me. I hid the pain from my face, knowing he would pry if he saw something he said had caused it.

"I know Jake… I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that" – I said this putting on the fakest smile I could gather up.

"Come on, I've got an idea" – he wiggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively and I couldn't help but laugh.

Before I knew it, we were on the beach, our favorite spot. He knows I love to go swimming and before I was old enough to start attending high school (I was homeschooled until last year due to the fact that my accelerated growth would get noticed) I would come down to La Push and swim with him almost every day.

We ran hand in hand towards the water and dove right in. Once we got to the depth we wanted Jacob pulled me towards him and wrapped his arms around me; the water is always cold and this is the only way I can stand to stay in long enough without freezing. This time however, his innocent hug sent electricity all through my body. I could feel his rock hard abs against mine and hoped desperately that I were wearing fewer clothes, so I could really feel his warm skin against mine. The rocking movements of the waves made our bodies rub against each other in an amazing way.

I was too busy taking in the amazing sensation of our bodies together to realize that Jacob was looking at me. It's always amazed me that Jake is such a strong and powerful being, a killer, and that he can still have the most innocent and pure eyes. Sometimes he looks at me as if it's the first time he's laid eyes on me, this was one of them. My heart started pounding and I hoped the rush of the waves would disguise the sound to his sensitive ears.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 2**

**Jacob's POV**

Her smell came to me like water to a dying man in the dessert. This past week had been pure torture; she had just started school and for some reason was being kept busy for ridiculous reasons by her family. I knew where this was coming from… Edward had been listening closely to my thoughts and judging from his menacing stares and constant growling he knew a change had happened. I was in love… no, I had always been in love, since the moment she saw me and transformed my world… this was more, far more; desire, longing, need, lust, adoration, attraction. Every moment without her was agony, making it hard to breathe. I regretted ever making fun of Bella for the way she used to hold herself together when Edward was gone. These days it took all of my will power not to tell her about imprinting, which is probably why Edward was keeping her from me, allowing as little face time as possible.

I darted out of my window and hid behind the big tree facing my room, and then I saw her. She was wearing my favorite dress, her curls coming down her shoulders in wild ringlets, anticipation all over her face. I watched her as she crept up behind my house and almost felt sorry I had hid and would not let her surprise me. My feeling sorry quickly went away when I saw her face at the moment she noticed I was gone, priceless.

"Aren't you glad to see me?" – Her words stung me like a bee, after all our life together did she honestly not know how important she is to me? Had I failed in showing her?

"Ness, how can you ask me that? Don't you know?" – That I'm in love with you, that you're the center of my existence, that I need you and want you!!! I looked down and bit my tongue, the only thing I could do to restrain myself, because as much as I hungered for her, I loved her enough to give her a change to choose her own fate. Still, I needed to repair the damage. "Ness, I… I miss you like crazy when I can't see you. You're my… my…" – Imprint!!! My reason to live!!! But like a fool, I lied - "You're my kid sister, my best friend, my family". – My own words wounded me, but they were the only thing I could muster to say. Stupid dog.

I tried to change the subject and led her to our favorite spot. She didn't know this but I had been lying in my room the entire week like a vegetable, not even wanting to go on pack patrols, so I desperately needed to feel nature and let loose. We dove in the water and I held her close to me to keep her safe and warm, my mission in life. I quickly realized the intimacy of the moment was a mistake, especially when I've always been known for my impulsive nature.

I didn't care. She looked so beautiful and happy that I just let myself enjoy the moment. We floated in the water for what seemed like a decade before we decided it was time to face the music.

**Nessie's POV**

We walked slowly back to the cottage, not wanting to break apart. As I saw my beloved home, a huge lump formed in my throat. This was impossible, how could I willingly say goodbye to him when every fiber of my being wanted nothing but to be near him, forever.

He was the first one to break the silence, when he spoke; his voice sounded huskier than usual and was almost a whisper. – "Ness, I should come in with you… once your dad sees _me,_ I'm sure I'll be the one to take the heat, ok?"

"No Jake, this is on me… besides, it was worth it"

"You mean, _I_ was worth it?" – I'm sure he didn't mean it that way, but combined with his teasing half smile, it was the sexiest thing I've ever heard.

I giggled and playfully punched him in the shoulder. – "Get outta here Jake".

He took hold of my waist and leaned down, I felt dizzy instantly; he kissed my forehead and whispered in my ear, causing me to shiver. - "Try not to get killed ok? I can't afford to lose my play buddy".

When he leaned away his face was full of worry, like he actually thought death could be an alternative. I smiled at his overreaction and walked toward my house. I could hear him already running in the distance, his strides long and the sound of his paws heavy, he had phased.

When I walked into our cottage my momma was the first one to greet me. She had her worried look on but immediately relaxed when she saw me come in.

"Renesme, haven't we been through this before?!!! We need to know where you are to keep you safe, how else would we know if something has happened to you? Alice can't see you and you keep sneaking out just for the fun of it!!! – I'm pretty sure that any human would find my mother terrifying in this moment, because she looks incredibly menacing when angry. Her voice becomes a hiss and her eyes look set to kill.

Before I could say anything my father was next to her in a flash. He inhaled loudly and made a face, wrinkling his nose.

"I see you've been with Jacob… ah Ness, like mother like daughter" – My father said this while glancing teasingly at my mother, with his crooked smile. She rolled her eyes and turned around with a pirouette any ballet dancer would envy. She started walking back to the living room, turned her head and said to my father, with a teasing smile – "It's not the same". My father frowned at her before returning his attention to me. They obviously had some sort of internal joke going on.

I was surprised at how my father was so quick to take away my mother's anger, and even more surprised that he himself was calm and even looked happy about it, why else would he joke.

"Nessie honey, let's take a walk"

We walked for a few minutes in silence, there was a question burning in my insides but I was too afraid to ask, thinking that maybe he _was_ angry after all and would punish me any minute.

"I won't darling" – he said responding to my silent question. –"Go on, ask me"

"Dad, what did you mean when you said 'like mother like daughter'?"

"Well, when your mom was human, she also had a tendency to want to sneak away to see Jacob" – My dad chuckled almost to himself. –"But of course, she was never really able to, considering she was a clumsy and noisy human, not at all stealthy, and I wouldn't let her".

"I don't get it… why?"

"I knew he was a werewolf and was afraid she might get hurt, they have a tendency to be temperamental you know."

"Well, then why couldn't you go with her, I mean, to protect her?" – This wasn't making any sense, why couldn't the tree of them hang out, why would my mother want to sneak away from her boyfriend to go be with her best friend? Didn't the three of them get along?

Again, answering my thoughts he said - "Let's just say we were "enemies" Jacob and I, archenemies" – he said this without a trace of bitterness, as if remembering a fond time. The idea shocked me in such a way that I stopped walking and put my hands on my forehead, as if to help my brain make sense of it.

Archenemies… but dad and Jake get along great. Outside of the family, Jacob is probably the person dad loves the most. He has never admitted to this of course, but I can tell. And Jake, he's always teasing my dad by thinking things, its super entertaining to watch them bicker without either one of them saying a word. Since forever I've had this romantic idea of my father asking Jake for advice or help in wooing my mom.

Then I had a horrible idea, I know my dad, maybe Jacob could have hated my dad because he was a vampire, this made sense; but my dad would never, and I mean never, hate someone for just being what they are. He is the most noble and just man I know; the only way he could ever hate someone, enough to be his "archenemy", would be if he had done something horrible, if he was a bad person.

I looked up at my dad with tears in my eyes. –"What did Jake do?"

My dad's expression quickly changed into one of worry and then suddenly became a mask, an unreadable and blank expression, the one I knew he put on when lying.

"I'm not lying" – he said in a calm voice. –"Jacob is a good person, he didn't do anything wrong, you think too much of me, darling; I too can be irrational sometimes."

"Ok, enough of this, I can see how desperately you wanted to see him… from now on you can go to La Push whenever you want and he can come here too, even during school days."

Relief washed over me but also a sense of unease, they were hiding something from me, and it concerned Jacob, which meant I needed to find out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just as fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 3**

**Nessie's POV**

The following week I got to see Jacob every day. I studied him and my father closely, but really couldn't distinguish a trace of bitterness or resentment or anything that gave away that they had once hated each other. My dad merely rolled his eyes at me every time he caught me analyzing them while Jacob looked at me expectantly hoping to get in on the joke.

"Mmmm Bells, something smells good." – We were at the big house. Jacob and I were sitting in the living room throwing a baseball back and forth between each other, my mom was in the kitchen cooking up a storm and dad was sitting on his piano composing what sounded like a new song.

"I know you missed me, but you didn't have to go to all this trouble to show me."

My dad rolled his eyes. – "You wish puppy; she just needed an excuse to try out the new stove."

"Hey… nobody calls me "puppy" except for my Nessie, ok Ed?" – The words "my Nessie" made the butterflies in my stomach go crazy, and it didn't help that as he said it he winked at me. I heard my dad growl from the piano. As if on cue, my mom came out of the kitchen, holding a huge plate of Jake's favorite meat loaf, the smell made me want to puke; I hate human food.

"Here you go Jake"- she leaned down, put the huge plate on his lap, ruffled his hair and whispered "_I did miss you_". She then went to go sit on my dad's lap. Jacob got up and came to sit down next to me; I'm not sure if he was just taking advantage of the fact that my dad was distracted or just wanting to not be sitting opposite of where my parents were making out, either way I was delighted.

He began to dig into the huge plate of meat loaf as I continued to throw the baseball into the air by myself. In the distance I heard leaves rustling, calm wind being disturbed; I recognized their scent before they entered the house, my favorite uncles, Rose and Emmet. Uncle Em probably also recognized our scent because the moment he walked through the door he started singing _"who let the dogs out!!! Wuff, wuff wuff, wuff wuff…"_

Jacob bared his teeth at him but all Em did was wink at him. When Aunt Rose entered she made an overly disgusted face at Jake. – "God Nessie, I thought you were over the whole pet fetish… at least make him sit on the floor, he'll get flees all over the sofa!!!"

"Isn't this getting old already?"- Both Jacob and Rose looked at me, then at each other and called out in unison:_ "no"._

"Hey Blondie, how do you keep a blonde busy for hours?" – Aunt Rose was already halfway up the stairs so Jake had to yell the last part. – "Write "please turn over" on both sides of a piece of paper!!!"

I thought I heard Rose growl and say something like "damn imprinting…", but I wasn't sure because Uncle Em's laugh was echoing all through the room.

"Damn it Jacob!!! Now I'll be in trouble for weeks!!!"

"It's not my fault I'm funny _or_ that you fell for a blonde" – said Jake with a shrug. Uncle Em came over and jokingly punched him on the shoulder, kissed me in the forehead saying _"hey baby girl"_ and proceeded to go upstairs calling out "Rose baby!!! I'm sorry; I'll make it up to you!!! I already punched him!!!"

Both my parents laughed and momma said – "We better not be in the house when he _"makes it up to her"_. – Jake and I made an "aww" sound. The image of Rose and Emmet together was not something we wanted in our heads. As much as I love my family, I can never get used to having horny teenagers for parents and uncles.

"Well Ness, I have patrol tonight, I gotta get going"

"I'll run with you to La Push, ok?" – He said goodbye to my parents and we ran off into the forest.

Once we reached the reservation our pace slowed up. Out from the shadows two huge wolves emerged, I quickly recognized Leah and Quill, who always run patrols with Jacob, leaving Embry and Seth on the other shift.

"Hey guys… (Leah growled at him) and lady". – Jake rolled his eyes at me and I giggled, making Leah give me the dirty eye, even in her wolf form.

"Give me a second, ok?" – Both wolves bowed their heads and walked deeper into the forest, leaving us alone. I don't know why I was so nervous, this was Jacob for crying out loud; I wasn't used to feeling this uncomfortable around him. It didn't help that he was looking at me with a wildly sexy smile, probably amused by my nervousness. I couldn't help but wonder again why my father would have despised him in the past, there really was no way anybody could dislike him, I don't even thing Aunt Rose hates him half as much as she claims.

"So, Ness… I have to go into work tomorrow, their bringing in a new car that I have to almost rebuild from scratch… I'm not sure at what time I'll get off, but…"

"Oh, that's ok Jake… I actually made plans with Tyler… a friend from school".

"Oh… is that the blonde kid?" – He said it with a certain hostility and I immediately felt guilty, I also didn't like the word "kid", is that how Jacob sees me, a kid with kid friends? I didn't really want to go out with Tyler, this wasn't even a date or anything, I'd made these plans because I'd overheard Jacob on the phone with his boss at the beginning of the week and knew how hard my afternoon would be without him. Tyler was fun and cool, easygoing, and would help keep me busy.

"Uhm… yeah, he's blonde."

"Is this a date or something?" – A glimmer of hope, was Jacob jealous? The thought made me smile. Big mistake, because he took my smile as a yes. Before I could clarify he spoke, his voice hard.

"Does Edward know about this? Do you have permission?"

"What? I'm not a child Jacob!!!" - His answer infuriated me; he was acting like a parent. I didn't need that, want that. If his answer angered me, his response to my outburst hurt my feelings even more.

"Fine Ness… it's not my business anyway, I'm just looking out for you."

"You're right, it's not!!!"

He slowly walked toward me, his face hard and expressionless, a face I'd never seen before; I didn't like it, not one bit. –"I have to go on patrol now… I can't go if you don't say goodbye to me."

I still had my arms folded in front of me when he leaned down, hugged me and nuzzled his face on the side of mine, but didn't kiss my cheek, just breathed in my scent. He then walked away without looking at me, leaving me feeling empty; my hurt pride not allowing me to chaise after him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 4**

**Jacob's POV**

I was tired, dead tired, could barely hold a wrench tired. I couldn't sleep at all last night after my patrol. We werewolves need our sleep, it nourishes us, which is why it's so easy for us to fall asleep anywhere anytime. However, this doesn't apply when faced with imprint problems. I felt horrible, Nessie and I never fought. But it wasn't the fight that had kept me up all night; it was the thought of that blond kid taking _my_ Nessie out, holding her hand, flirting with her, kissing her… I bent in half the wrench I had in my hand. I couldn't concentrate and my hands were shaking profusely, this was dangerous, if I kept having these thoughts I would probably phase in front of all my coworkers and kill the lot of them.

Bella choosing Edward over me, marrying him, having his baby while I was still in love with her was a walk in the park compared to this, my jealousy was hitting an all time high. Before this I never worried about Nessie finding someone else, we were meant to be, we fit together, made sense. How could some pimply teenage human be able to live up to everything she needed, how could someone else enter this crazy world? I even had Edward's approval if Nessie ever showed interest, and that in itself is saying a lot, because Edward is a picky, judgmental, demanding and way too severe little vampire. But all of this didn't matter of course, if Nessie was not in love with me. I could be the perfect man for her and it wouldn't matter, because her wants and needs would always be more important. If she wanted this brainless kid, I'd have to take it like a man.

My boss must have sensed my mood because he told me to take of early. I drove my Rabbit way beyond the speed limit and as soon as I got close enough to the forest, I got out, stripped and phased on the spot. All these feeling would be easier to handle in my wolf form… or would they?

"_God Jake, you really have bad luck with girls… I think it's those Cullen girls if you ask me"_

"_I didn't Leah, shut up will you!!!"_

"_Hey Jake… don't worry about it, it's probably nothing, imprints always fall in love with their wolves."_

"_You don't know that Quill!!! Clair's still a kid!!! Just wait till she hits puberty, then we'll talk." - _My words caused Quill to worry; I could see him replaying in his mind images of Clair and thinking she was growing up too fast.

"_This really pisses me off, all you wolves with your stupid imprints. It's bad enough that I have to deal with all your lovey dovey thoughts about them, but now you're behaving like ridiculous children."_

"_You don't know what it's like Leah."_

"_Oh, yeah Jake, because I don't know a thing about jealousy." _I could see images of Sam and Emily in Leah's mind, and immediately felt bad for my comment.

"_Just listen to me, ok? She never said it was a date, she probably snapped at you for behaving like her overprotective leech of a father. Just hang tight, don't do anything stupid."_ – An image of me in wolf form attaching the blonde kid came up in her head. It looked very tempting, maybe not killing the poor sucker, but definitely finding out what was really happening.

"_Jake man… that's a really bad idea."_

I was human again before either of them could talk me out of it. This was killing me, I needed to find out what I was up against. I found my car, put on my pants and a t-shirt, didn't bother with shoes. I raced my car back to Forks and stated looking for her; I drove my car up and down the main streets until I saw her, making my heart skip a beat. She looked beautiful; my heart sank because I knew no boy could ever resist her. They were walking together, the boy looked weak and thin, like I could hurt him with just my pinky, he had a handsome face though. Dammit.

I parked the Rabbit around the corner so she wouldn't recognize it and then started stalking them, staying away far enough so she couldn't smell me. I thought my heart would pop out of my chest; I had to strain my ears just to be able to listen over the thumping.

_Tyler: "So, I was surprised when you said yes to coming with me and helping me pick out a gift for my sister; you usually hurry back home as soon as class is over."_

_Nessie: "Yeah, well… I didn't really have anything to go back to today."_

_Tyler: "Well, I'm glad… cuz this bracelet you picked out is beautiful, you have good taste Nessie." _

_Nessie: "I happen to have two really crazy but very stylish shopaholic aunts, I guess some of it must have rubbed off on me." _

They continued on talking about their upcoming Physics test, about some girl named Anna breaking up with some kid named Billy, about today's cafeteria selection, about the weather… pretty average and dull small talk. Much to my satisfaction, I noticed that Nessie seemed more interested in looking at the store windows than paying attention to a word this boring kid was saying. It pleased me tremendously because she is almost always interested in what everyone has to say, she always finds something fascinating in the people around her; so for her to not be paying attention to the boy must mean she was really not into him.

_Tyler: "So… who's this Jacob guy?"_

The sound of my name made me come to a screeching halt. I started walking even closer, risking getting caught, just to make sure I didn't miss out on anything.

_Nessie: "Jacob?"_

_Tyler: "Yeah… um… I always hear you talking about him; he doesn't go to our school does he?"_

_Nessie: "No, he lives in La Push… but he graduated high school some time ago anyway."_

_Tyler: "Oh… you mean he's like a Quileute? And like, older?"_

_Nessie: "Ty… I don't understand where this is going."_

_Tyler: "Here's the thing Nessie… I really like you… your smart and funny and pretty… I just wanted to know if I'm like up against anyone… you know… if you already like someone else…"_

_Nessie: "Listen Ty; I like you a lot, you're a good guy, but I like you as a friend ok?"_

My thumping heart went back to normal speed and relief immediately washed over me. Nessie had turned him down. I felt delighted and elated, all I wanted was to run up to her and hug her, kiss her, confess my love to her. This was impulsive and stupid of course, the old Jacob. Edward would have been proud of me; I controlled my urges and fell back to a steady pace, keeping my distance.

_Tyler: "Yeah, sure Nessie… I was just checking… no harm done. So, what do you say, you want to check out a movie."_

_Nessie: "Sure, it's still early."_

They were standing next to the movie theatre, the same one I had taken Bella to so many years ago. I was surprised by the similarity in the situations. Back then I had felt jealous over that stupid Mike Newton, only to find out that he meant less to nothing to Bells.

_Tyler: "Pick one… I already saw that new Bruce Willis one."_

_Nessie: "Um… how about that one… the scary one."_

_Tyler: "Are you sure? I hear it's kinda creepy, it's about people who turn into murdering wolves."_

_Nessie: "I'm sure… I love werewolves." _

**Nessie's POV**

Man was I loosing it. All throughout my walk with Tyler I had felt Jacob's presence; I even thought I smelled his scent a couple of times. I knew I was in love, but this was getting to the point of obsession; couldn't I take my mind of him even for one afternoon?

It didn't help that I had to go and choose a movie about werewolves, cheesy and over the top as they were; they still reminded me of him. Tyler kept yelling out "woah" every time one of the characters morphed into a wolf, which made me laugh; I wondered what he would do if he actually saw the real thing, probably wet his pants.

After the movie Tyler drove me back to the school parking lot where I had left my car, we said goodbye and I made my way back to the cottage. I was already just a few minutes from the hidden turn into the Cullen property when I saw a huge figure right in front of me. Good thing I have vampire reflexes because I was able to hit the brakes and swerve just enough to miss him, Jacob.

When I got out of the car and saw him all the anger I had been harboring against him went away.

"Jake, do you realize my car would have been destroyed if I had hit you?!!!" – He stated laughing at my comment, which made me laugh as well.

"What are you doing here anyway? Aren't you supposed to be working late?"

"I needed to see you." – His answer was so sincere it almost made me cry; Jacob Black _needed_ to see me. Before I could stop myself I ran into his arms and he caught me the way he always had since I was a baby, holding me up from the ground so we were at eye level. I put one hand on his cheek and showed him my day, as I caressed his hair with the other.

"So, I see you missed me… does that mean I'm forgiven?"

"Jacob Black, when have you ever _not_ been forgiven?"

"Well, it's the first time you've gotten angry at me, it was scary, kind of reminded me of your dad."

He was teasing of course, but his words brought back what my father had said to me a few days back: "archenemies". Jacob had probably been reminded of all the confrontations he once must have had with dad. My mind started racing again, my worry and curiosity getting the best of me.

My dad had no clue about my feelings for Jacob, I'd learned very early on in my life to block out my thoughts from him; so I couldn't help but wonder if my dad would oppose to my love once he knew. Would he reveal to me something horrible about Jacob's past? Had Jacob really done something wrong? Did my dad keep it from me when I asked just because he thought I wasn't too attached to him? Would my attachment break once I knew the truth about why my dad had once hated Jake? I knew the answer to the last question of course: never. But the whole thing still made me uneasy.

Tomorrow I said to myself, tomorrow I would ask Jake. I knew he wouldn't lie to me, and I would feel better hearing the truth straight from him. Today, I would enjoy what was left of the day with my Jacob.

"I'm starving, how about a little hunting competition?"- I giggled and wiggled my way out of his grasp and started running before he had a chance to strip out of his clothes and phase.

"Cheater!!!" - I heard him cry out from the distance. Even with a head start I knew he would beat me.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 5**

**Nessie's POV**

We were sitting quietly on the top branches of a tree near my cottage. Jacob had nothing on but a pair of cutoffs and for the way he has leaning on his branch appeared more animal than human. I knew he was looking at me because I felt the power of his stare, but I couldn't look at him, not when he looked so amazingly gorgeous and was just inches away from me. I wasn't about to make a fool of myself by launching myself at him.

"Ness, what are you thinking?" – I could hear the worry in his voice; I had been distant the whole afternoon, thinking about the question I needed to ask. –"You know you can tell me anything."

That was all it took, I turned around and placed my palm to his cheek. I loved the way he always closed his eyes when I did this, giving me a chance to appreciate his beauty up close without feeling self conscious. I replayed the conversation I had had with my dad adding my additional thoughts and questions and worries.

When Jake opened his eyes I could see there was something he needed to tell me, but was afraid to.

"Just tell me Jake, I need to know."

"It was because of Bella" – his voice came out constricted.

"You mean because he thought you were a danger to her, he already said that, it's not something new and certainly not a reason to be "archenemies."

"No, because I was in love with her" – I felt a huge pressure come down on me, as if an elephant were sitting on my chest. My entire world collapsed in that moment. This was beyond cruel; his words wounded me in such a way that I couldn't even fake indifference.

So I meant nothing to him. This was the real reason he hung around, the reason he commanded his pack to protect us from the Voltury, the reason he looked after me. He still loved her, loved her enough to accept that she belonged with dad, enough to bear watch them together just to be able to be near her. I was just sloppy seconds; all those times he looked into my eyes, he didn't see me, he saw her, her human self, the human he loved but could never have.

I threw myself from the tree and started walking away, hyperventilating, tears running down my face, my mind racing showing me by the second worse and worse scenarios. My mom had wanted to sneak out to see him, knowing he loved her, why? Had she loved him too? Had they been together before she met my dad, or worse, after?

Before I knew it Jacob was in front of me, trying to stop me from walking away, a devastated look on his face, my pain reflected in his eyes.

When he spoke, it came out hoarse. – "Ness, please… I'm sorry, what's wrong?"

He didn't know, had no clue, was so oblivious to me that had not noticed the feelings I was harboring. I tried to push him out of the way but he held onto my wrists and wouldn't let me go.

"Ness, please tell me… I didn't mean to upset you… please baby… please" – He had tears in his eyes and a panicked look, because he really didn't know. – "It's over now, I don't love her that way, it's nothing, it was always nothing!!!"

I couldn't bear it, his pain caused me even more pain and his words were empty. Whatever he said now meant nothing, I knew enough of the truth; his love for me was only a reflection of his love for my mother. She was the one for him, that's why he had never imprinted like the rest of the wolves, why I never saw him with girls; he probably hoped I was his and her daughter. The idea made me nauseous and sick. It took all of my last strength to loosen his grip but was only able to walk a few paces before I collapsed and fainted. I welcomed the feeling of falling out of consciousness, anything to numb the pain that was sure to kill me.

**Jacob's POV**

I came running to the front of the cottage, Nessie in my arms, _my_ Nessie. Edward and Bella were already coming out, probably having heard my pounding heart. Bella took her from me.

"Oh God, my baby!!! What happened?!!!"

"I can't believe you, you Mongrel!!!" – Edward was snarling at me, teeth bared and all; I actually welcomed it, death would be better than having to face knowing I had hurt her.

"There's a reason I didn't tell her about you and Bella, your stupidity amazes me, you insensitive dog!!!"

Bella was holding Nessie in one arm and had her other on Edwards chest, restraining him. Her eyes were locked on me, not accusingly but sympathetic; I could always count on Bella to be on my side. – "You told her about us? Everything?"

"I… she asked me… I can't lie to her!!! … It shouldn't matter… I… she… please Bells, tell me what to do?" – I was shaking from head to toe, I'd never seen Nessie this way, never seen her faint or cry like this, she's the happiest person I know.

Before I knew it, we were at the big house. Bella and Edward took Nessie up to Carlyle's office while everyone else interrogated me. I could barely speak, I answered without thinking, too focused on hearing what was going on upstairs.

_Carlyle: "She's fine, there is nothing physically wrong. She just took an emotional blow and shut down, that's all. She's resting now."_

_Bella: "I don't understand Edward, why would this bother her so much… do you think her feelings have changed, could you have missed that?"_

_Edward: "I don't know love… she thinks about him every minute, but she has since she was small, so that really doesn't constitute as a change."_

_Bella: "Well, she is good at hiding her thoughts from you… maybe she has been using Alice's tricks to keep you from knowing she's in love with Jacob"._

She's in love with me? How could I not see this? Edward was right; I am a stupid insensitive dog!!! Had my feelings changed because hers had? This made all the sense in the world, because I would always be what she needed, always want what she wanted. And now she was in pain because I was foolish enough to not realize. I ignored everyone's nagging questions and left running, I took of my cutoffs without the least bit of embarrassment and phased only a few steps away from the front door. I turned and saw Bella looking down on me from the office window, looking so much like my Nessie but far less beautiful. I let out a howl and I saw her mouth the word "stay", but I couldn't, I turned around and ran into the forest.

"_Phase back, I need to be alone"_

"_Okay Jake, take it easy"_ – Thought Leah as she phased back.

"_Jake man, be happy, she loves you"_

"_Shut up Quill, I gave you an order" _– Not even my best friend could cheer me up right now.

"_Okay man, see ya."_ And he phased back, leaving me alone to my thoughts; I had at least 2 hours before the following patrol, before Embry and Seth would phase and be able to hear me, more than enough time to wear myself out and clear my head.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 6**

**Thank you so much for your reviews, like I said, this is my first fan-fic so knowing that I'm not writing in vain, that someone is actually reading my stuff, is really awesome. I want more!!! Please review, happy reading and writing. **

**Nessie's POV **

I opened my eyes, my lids felt heavy and my body numb. My dad was right next to me, concern in his golden loving eyes. If anyone could help me now it was him; he was as much a victim of this as me. I imagined how much he had suffered because of my mother and Jacob's love. How could he have managed? How did the jealousy not kill him? How could he allow Jacob to come to the house almost every day, watch him tease my mom, give her bear hugs, make her laugh? Thinking about this made me love my dad even more; he is truly an amazingly noble and good person. I could only hope to have inherited even an ounce of his strength, I was going to need it.

Suddenly I felt a cold hand on my cheek, my momma. As soon as I saw her all the horrible feelings came back and flooded my heart. I couldn't hate her, this wasn't her fault, but I could barely look at her. All the wonderful things my mother is, all her gifts, her amazing personality, her breathtaking beauty were once elements to make me smile, but now simply reminded me of all the things Jacob saw in her and loved. I felt betrayed, I knew she had no way of knowing about my feelings, but she should have, she should have guessed that no daughter of hers could resist Jake. The thought of this made me remember my dad's comment a few days ago: _"like mother like daughter"_; I now understood my mom's response to dad: _"it's not the same". _The cruelty behind her words was added pain to my already overwhelmingly throbbing heart. Of course it wasn't the same, they had probably had a romantic relationship, something I could only dream of.

Tears stung my eyes. I couldn't face them, couldn't stand to hear them trying to console me. I turned over on my side and shut my eyes, pulling my knees to my chest.

"Please… just… just leave me alone for a moment… just let me rest." – Mi voice came out surprisingly weak and I immediately felt sorry for them for having to see me in this state, because I know how much they love me and how impotent the must feel. Nevertheless, they can't help me, no one can't.

Without a word they left. I sat down on the hospital bed in my grandpa's office and looked out the window, still feeling dizzy. I heard voices downstairs but was too disoriented to recognize them. Was Jacob down there? Would he come up to see me? No, I wasn't ready for that, as much as I knew he would be the only being on Earth that could comfort me.

Without really thinking, I got up and jumped out the window. _"The best medicine for any distress is running",_ Jacob had said to me a long time ago. So I did, I ran and ran and ran. I must've been already near the Canadian border when I felt it, Jacob's scent. I stopped dead in my tracks, my heart racing faster than usual. Like some sort of zombie I started tracking him; my mind and my heart knew that right now I didn't want to see him, not yet; but my body ached for him, and it was precisely my body the one who started moving in the direction of his scent, quickening my pace once the scent became stronger and more recent. I knew I was close.

A jolt of electricity went all through me when I finally spotted him, lying down with his huge head over his paws, spread out in front of him. I stood there for what seemed like an eternity until he looked up; even in his wolf form I could tell he was in pain. He got up and started slowly walking towards a tree, never breaking eye contact with me, as if he were afraid I might disappear or something. Once he was behind the massive tree I felt a rush of air and knew he had phased back. Sure I had been shocked to see him in his wolf form, but nothing could have prepared me to see him human. He came out from behind the tree, already wearing his cutoffs, his features distorted from the pain and worry. All I wanted was to run to him and jump in his arms, the way I had always done when I was a child. But they were not my arms, they belonged to my mother; this was horrible.

"Nessie… I… I need to say some things, but first I need to know something, because I would never forgive myself if I told you these things without knowing your intentions first". – He paused and took in a big breath, he seemed afraid to go on.

"Ness… are you… are you in love with me?" –In all my life I had never seen Jake look so vulnerable, so shy. It was incredibly disarming. His question was also incredibly unexpected. This was horrible, he probably figured out why I had reacted the way I did, and now he was asking me to reveal my love for him knowing he did not feel the same way. The thought of this made me incredibly angry.

"Jacob… please, just forget about it ok?"

"I can't, tell me Nessie, please."

"What difference does it make?"

"It makes all the difference… do you?"

"Yes, ok Jacob,,, yes!!! Now leave me alone"- I turned around, tears coming down like raindrops, humiliation stinging my heart. Next thing I knew he was in front of me, on his knees, his huge arms wrapped around my waist and his head pressed against my chest. He was sobbing. I was confused.

Finally he looked up at me. "Nessie… I'm in love with you, I love you more than I love my own life, you're the reason I get up every morning, the reason I call a group of stinky vampires family, you're my life!!! From the moment I first saw you as a little new born, you transformed my world."

"Jake… I… I don't understand… my mom…"

"That's the thing Nessie, I think I loved Bella all along because part of you was in her, once she got pregnant and gave birth to you, it was over!!! I mean, I still love her, but I'm not _in love with her_, the pull I felt towards her was you!!! It was always you!!! The pull for my whole existence will always be you!!!" – Jacob was talking way to fast and I was having a hard time digesting what he was saying.

"Ness… you're my imprint… I imprinted on you the first time I saw you."

"Why… why didn't you say anything… why did you keep this from me." – I didn't mean for it to sound accusing, but somehow it did.

"I wanted you to choose… I didn't want you to be persuaded by already knowing you were my soul mate… I would always be yours whether you wanted me or not, but I needed you to decide for yourself."

We both stood there just looking at each other, he was still on his knees, the area around his eyes still wet and red. Maybe five minutes passed until I was able to speak again.

"You mean you're in love with me?" – I wasn't sure I got it straight, I needed to make sure. Jacob's face dramatically changed and a huge smile spread across his face, the most Jacoby smile ever.

"Um, I would think that after all I said that would be understood… guess not."- He was teasing now, visibly more relaxed; I on the other hand was still perplexed, like everything I had thought in the past few minutes had been flipped upside down. It wasn't my mom, it was _me_. I didn't remind him of her, _she _reminded him of _me_.

He got up, a different expression on his face, one mixed with anticipation but also hesitation.

"Ness… are you really in love with me."- I couldn't help but smile, whatever worry and pain had held my heart prisoner a while ago vanished in that very moment. I put my palm to his cheek and as always he closed his eyes.

I showed him just how much I loved him, clips of the most memorable moments of our life together and what they meant to me, the first time I had noticed him in a different way, the consequent butterflies I would feel whenever I saw him or thought of him, the safety I felt in his arms, the beauty of his face, all of it rushing out of me and through my palm. He opened his eyes and I had never seen him this happy, I giggled.

He leaned down and kissed me. The moment his soft warm lips touched mine the entire world made sense, like something had been missing and finally had clicked into place. I wrapped my arms around his narrow waist, pressing my body closer to him. He responded by tangling his hands in my hair, taking hold of fistfuls and pulling my face closer to him, until not an inch of our bodies was apart, the way they were always meant to be.

I felt his tongue tracing my lips, begging for permission to enter, I opened my mouth and allowed him. He moaned into my mouth and I knew I wanted more, much more. I used my tongue to taste him, exploring his luscious mouth, making him quiver, a soft whimper escaping his lips. It was the sexiest sound I had ever heard and suddenly I wanted to kiss him harder, I pulled myself closer and continued, he got the message because he began to suck my bottom lip ferociously. I tried to do the same but was shocked when I felt the taste of blood, sweet delicious blood, _his_ blood. I immediately stopped and pulled away far enough to see his face. His lower lip was covered in blood, his mouth swollen from our passionate kiss. I had bit him.

"Oh Jake, I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to get carried away". – He seductively licked his lower lip, removing the traces of blood from his already healed skin. He had an amused look on his face, like I had done something fascinating. His eyes were full of intensity, burning into mine.

"Maybe you should kiss it to make it better". – I couldn't help but giggle. He smiled and started tracing kisses down my jaw line and neck, now _I _was the one quivering. Things were getting better and better, when all of a sudden he just stopped and backed away with a sheepish look.

"Nessie baby… um… I think we should go back… the leeches are probably wondering where you are."

"I don't care" – I said, pulling him towards me again. How could I ever stand to be apart from him when I already knew what it was like to be this close to him?

He kissed me for a few more seconds before breaking apart again.

"I mean it Nessie… God… this is going to be harder than I thought… your dad's going to murder me!!!" – He smiled at me sweetly and wrapped his strong arms around me, rocking me from side to side like a baby, his forehead pressed into mine. –"I don't think I'll be able to stop thinking about this, and once Edward hears my thoughts, _he_ won't be able to stop from tearing me apart".

We both laughed. – "Jake, I'm happy".

His smile widened even more, if that were possible. "I love you, Ness".

**Jacob's POV**

I saw the house in the distance. At this range Edward could probably already hear my thoughts. There was no point in trying to hide them, there was no way I could prevent myself from thinking about that kiss. My body was still tingling from her soft touch; I could honestly die a happy man right now.

"They're looking for me."

"How do you know?"

"Because I can feel aunt Alice and uncle Jazz's scent coming from the west, aunt Rosalie and uncle Em's scent from the east and my dad's scent seems to have been here more than once, like he ran circles around the property." – I know it wasn't the moment to be thinking this, but I felt extremely proud of her. She's only half vampire and she can track like the best of them. Is there anything she's not amazing at? My musings quickly subsided when I saw her worried expression.

"Ness baby, what's wrong, you know they won't be angry with you."

"It's not that… what if they don't approve?"

"Yes they will, once they know your feelings they'll give us their blessing. They've known all along about my imprinting Ness, they just wanted to wait until you decided for yourself."

She took in a deep breath. – "Ok… I just need to ask you for something."

"Your wish is my command." – I made it out like a joke but nothing could be truer.

"Will you kiss me before we go inside?" – If these were the kind of wishes I could expect from her, things were going to be easier than I thought.

I bent down and kissed her amazing lips, this time I tried to be softer, sweeter. I didn't want her to think that all I feel for her is lust and I certainly didn't want her whole family to watch her come in the house with her lips all swollen. She was pulling my hair, trying to get me closer to her; I knew this was my exit, a little bit longer and my instincts would take over. I pulled away and saw her pout when my face was out of reach, this girl would definitely be the end of me.

We walked hand in hand and made our entrance through the front door. I knew they had heard us a mile away, but neither one of them made an effort to come out and greet us. When we entered, Bella and Edward were sitting in the living room, Bells on his lap, Carlyle was standing next to them looking out the window, I didn't see Esme but knew she was in the kitchen because I heard her say _"come back, they just walked in",_ probably talking on the phone with the others. Carlyle went to join her, giving us the illusion of a private conversation.

Edward had his hand over the bridge of his nose, pinching it, as though he had a terrible headache. Bella was whispering something in his ear, rubbing her hand over his chest in a soothing manner. I knew what this was about, it wasn't the first time one of my thoughts caused Edward some sort of distress. Only this time, I wasn't enjoying it.

"_Sorry Edward, I'm not doing this on purpose, I just can't shut down my memory… but you have to know, my intentions are pure." – _I thought, and it was true. Maybe it was because I was just getting used to the idea but I hadn't had a disreputable thought about Nessie, not yet anyway.

"It's not you." – He managed to say through clenched teeth. Bella was trying to hide her smile from him, obviously amused by this. I turned to look at Nessie, was my Nessie having corrupting thoughts about me?

"Nessie darling, please… don't do this to your old man, could you please restrain from thinking of him that way, at least for now." – I saw Nessie's entire face turn beet red and couldn't help but smile. I felt an urge to grab her hand and put it to my cheek, extremely curious about the thoughts that were causing Edward so much distress.

"Don't even think about it." –That comment was definitely directed at me, because he would never be so snappy toward Nessie. Before either one of us could speak, Edward started talking.

"It is obvious that the two of you are in love. Now you know how I feel about this Jacob; I could never trust my Nessie to anyone but you." - By the tone of his voice you would think he was against us, leave it to Edward to not show emotion when dealing with the serious stuff.

"However, now that your relationship has changed, I would like to set some ground rules. These past years I have watched you become a mature and decent man, I have truly been impressed by this, I have seen in your deepest thoughts your pure love for Nessie. I expect you to treat her with the same respect I treated Bella _before_ we were married." – His words made me cringe, making him smile for the first time since we got here. The leech truly loved to make me suffer.

"I will not stand for you to harbor in your mind the disgusting and corrupting thoughts _I know_ you're capable of having." –Nessie looked at me perplexed. I knew the leech was talking about Bella, and so did she, because she stopped smiling when he said this and elbowed him in the ribs.

"Let's get this clear, any misbehaving on your part with my little girl and _I will_ kill you." – Bella snorted at this, quieting down quickly when Edward gave her a dirty look.

"And as for you Nessie; Jacob is like a brother to me, and much more than that to your mother. I expect you to treat him with respect and care as well."

Bella was beaming at me. She had once told me we were meant to be together, that our fates were entwined. She had also told me that I deserved someone amazing, that no girl could ever be good enough for me. I knew this was a dream come true for her, finally watching her best friend find happiness with someone who was much more than amazing, much more than "good enough".

"Ok, is that it Edward? Cuz I have to tell you, all this formality is kind of creeping me out." –I felt Nessie relax a bit when I said this, she too seemed to be holding her breath the entire time.

All of a sudden the front door opened and in walked in the rest of the leeches. I braced myself; this was going to be a long night.

"You kids together already? Please say yes, teasing Bella and Edward about their love life is getting old, I need new material!!!" – As soon as Emmet said this, Blondie smacked him on the head, she was obviously angry and upset.

"This is already a _disaster_ without you adding fuel to the fire!!!" – She stomped out of the room and went upstairs, followed by Emmet. - "Come one Rosie Baby, it's not so bad!!!"

Everyone laughed except for Nessie, who looked really taken aback. Blondie has always been her favorite aunt, she was the only one happy about Bella's pregnancy from the start and took on the role of second mother, spoiling my Ness far more than necessary. I could never hate her the way I pretend to, because I can see what she means to Nessie and how much she loves her. I know that Blondie's approval has always been important to my baby. Looking at Nessie's expression, I feel like a jackass.

I turned to look at Edward and noticed he wasn't laughing either, he just looked at me and moved his head from side to side, a subtle way of saying "no", as in, "don't feel like a jackass". If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would actually like the bloodsucker I would have punched you in the face… funny how things change.

"Oh Nessie!!! You know Rose, she'll come around. So, tell me everything!!! How did it happen? What did he say, what did _you_ say? Is this what you were wearing?" – Leave it to Pixie to be excited about _everything_, that's probably why Jasper likes her; the man is a walking zombie, if he didn't pick up on the little ankle biter's perky mood, he'd probably depress himself to death.

Pixie took Nessie away from me towards the sitting room on the balcony. Nessie just looked at me with an embarrassed expression, as if apologizing for her crazy family. I winked at her and chuckled, these bloodsuckers really know how to take the fun out of everything.

I sat with Bella while Pixie and Nessie had their little "girl talk", my poor girl. After a while it got late and Edward said it was time for me to say goodbye to Ness and leave. Finally, I'd get some alone time with her; an image of her biting my lower lip flashed in my mind.

"Watch it." – He said with a menacing stare.

"Didn't mama leech ever tell you it's rude to listen in on people's thoughts? Don't make me go get Esme so she can give you the spanking you need."

Edward rolled his eyes. – "I don't know why Bella made you think you're funny."

Before I could retort, Nessie came in the room. Was it me or did she get more beautiful by the minute?

"Come on puppy, say goodbye to me outside."

As soon as we were outside I felt my heartbeat quicken. She was walking in front of me, her hips moving from side to side, the dress she was wearing hugging her body in all the right places, her hair flowing in long ringlet almost reaching her slender waist. In that moment I felt like a child, like a little punk teenager completely at the mercy of this woman. I could lead a pack of wolves, fight vampires, take down a mountain lion, but one word from this girl was enough to send me to the ground.

"So, will I see you tomorrow?" –I immediately felt stupid for asking. I course I would, hadn't we seen each other almost every day of her life? She glanced back at me and giggled at my question.

"Um, it depends puppy…"

"On what?" – Mi voice came out panicked, because not seeing her tomorrow would be torturous.

"On how badly you want to see me." – She gave me a sexy smile and wiggled her eyebrows, copying my expression from when I tease her.

I took her hand and twirled her around so she was now facing me. She put her hand on my cheek and projected how desperately she wanted me to kiss her. This was all new to me. The last and only time I had ever desired a woman besides Nessie, I basically had forced her to kiss me. Painful as it had been, deep down inside I always new Bella would never desire me the way she did Edward, even when I had been so certain the she was in love with me too. Now that finally the love of my life yearned for me the way I yearn for her, I had no idea how to proceed. Could anyone really be this lucky?

As always, I gave her what she wanted. We kissed for what seemed eternal bliss until we were interrupted.

"He hem… Nessie, Bella wants you to come inside now, Jasper is with Edward but I don't think my sweetheart will be able to keep him calm for any longer. Sorry Jake, but you should call it a night."

Pixie was being awfully sweet, probably had to do with the fact that Nessie hadn't objected to answering all of her prying questions and that on this particular evening, was wearing shoes.

"I'll be right in Alice." "So, tomorrow? Pick me up from school?"

"Try and stop me."

She kissed me one last time, this time it was harder, so even though it lasted only a few seconds, we were both panting once we broke apart. She went inside quickly, not wanting to say the words "goodbye" to me. Good, because I would not be able to bear them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 7**

**Things are going to get better, I promise!!!**

**Some of you have put this story in your "favorites", I'd like to thank you all for that, it really means a lot to me, especially because I'm new at this.**

**Please keep reviewing, I've only gotten 8 reviews so far and would love to get more, it is truly a pleasure to read what you have to say. So please enjoy my story and pretty please review!!!!**

**Nessie's POV**

I couldn't concentrate. There was no way I could spent an entire morning without thinking about him, and once he was in my head, nothing else fit in; not Physics or Art or even Chemistry, my favorite subject. I kept replaying in my head everything that had happened; I remembered the sweet taste of his tongue, his rough hands holding me closer, the smell of his warm breath on my face, his penetrating eyes…

"Hey Nessie, are you hot or something, you look flushed." – Tyler was blowing my face with his Math textbook.

"That's ok Tyler, I'm fine (more than fine, I'm in love!!!)… so… um… did your sister like her present?"

"Oh yeah, she loved it!!! Now you'll have to come with me every time I buy a gift."

"Hey guys!!! Nessie, how come you didn't call me last night?" – Amanda, my best human friend, came to sit down on my other side.

"Oh, sorry… I… I kind of got busy with something else."

"That's ok… so, did you guys hear about those monsters they found in Italy?"

"What?"

"They found this like warehouse full of bodies. It's really creepy; according to the newspaper they appear to be some sort of new species of wolves or something. They don't want people to be alarmed but they're saying these things are like mutants or something, because they have traces of human DNA. Could be some sort of genetic disease."

"Wow… that's like the movie we saw with Nessie, like werewolves!!!"

"I know!!! That's why the article caught my eye, it was pretty small and it's not really in an important city or anything, but I mean, how bizarre!!!"

"What city?" – My voice came out constricted, because I was dead afraid of the answer.

"Um… I don't know… some city I've never heard of… um… Volterra."

Panic entered my body like a shock wave. Visions of the Voltury with their cloaks invaded my mind. This was a subject we rarely spoke about in my house, everyone was thankful for being alive and having survived their "trial" five years ago. Most of the time we pretend like nothing ever happened, live as thought they don't exist; but it's reminders like these that wake me up to the reality that they do exist and are still out there. Even as a small child, I had understood the gravity of our situation 5 years ago; I had seen the worry and panic in my parent's eyes, the fear in the postures and faces of all of my families' friends, the determination in Jacob to keep me safe, the uneasiness of all of the wolves who are usually gun ho when it comes to battle. My mother often tells me that we are living in borrowed time, that our lives were spared and that we must live up to the amazing gift of a second time. I could never help but obsess over the word "borrowed", would they return one day to claim it? Would we be so lucky the next time?

All throughout Math period I tried to calm myself down. Those wolves they found probably had nothing to do with the Voltury, and even if they did, this had nothing to do with me or my family. I would soon enough see my dad and tell him all about it, and soon enough he would tell me that there's nothing to worry about. By the end of class I was calmer and had allowed myself to duel on my favorite subject, Jacob.

I was relieved and thrilled when the final bell rang. I barely said goodbye to my friends and went for the door, not stopping to answer their questions about my plans for the afternoon. I tried to run out of the building using human speed but failed miserably due to my excitement, making some heads turn at my velocity. I reached the parking lot and looked around wildly, surely he wouldn't be late.

Sure enough, there he was, the most gorgeous man alive. He was casually leaning back on his car, his arms folded over his chest, making his muscles pop up even more. He was wearing a black short sleeve t-shirt that clung to his skin and showed through his amazing sculptural upper body. His low rise jeans looked worn and faded, with some traces of motor oil and rips on the front. His dark hair was disheveled and fell over his eyes, just the way I like it.

I walked toward him, this time maintaining human speed. As soon as he saw me a huge grin emerged on his face, the whiteness of his teeth contrasting with his beautiful coppery skin. As I approached, a couple of girls walked past him and smiled at him, giggling like idiots. I felt an impulse to attack them; _"an afterschool snack sounds good"_ I thought to myself. The smell of their blood was extremely appetizing and I immediately felt the burning thirst in my throat. They were still looking at him like fools and it angered me that they were merely intrigued by his physical good looks, not even having a clue about the amazing person he is on the inside. Everything in my being screamed out "MINE", "JACOB BLACK IS MINE", a possessiveness that I hadn't felt toward him since I was a child.

"Hey Ness, are you ok? Your eyes are really dark, do you feel thirsty?" – The concern in Jacob's voice brought me back to reality. He had walked towards me and had his big hands on my shoulders, looking at me intently, apparently not even having noticed his effect on the two passing girls.

I coughed to try and get rid of the burning in my throat; it had been years since I felt the urge to attack a human. Jealousy really is a bitch.

"It's ok Jake, I'm fine… just lost if for a second."

"Are you hungry? I don't get it, we hunted a couple of days ago; do you need to go again?"

"No, I'm not hungry… it's just… I… I don't like those girls." – I felt childish for saying it, but I couldn't lie to him.

"Which girls?" – Jacob frowned and turned to look at them. They were still standing there, giggling, when Jacob gave them such a look that a grown man would piss his pants. Both girls immediately stopped smiling and walked away, both of them red in the face, embarrassed.

He turned to look at me, a comforting look in his eyes. He probably thought the girls were mean to me or something, I couldn't help but smile. Mi protector.

"So… you wanna get out of here?"

We drove out to First Beach. After running in the sand and horsing around: tackling each other, tickling each other, him running after me and throwing me up in the air; we decided to dive in the water.

As always, he wrapped his strong protective arms around me, only this time, I felt confident enough to wrap my legs around _him_, locking our bodies together. We were laughing like children, feeling giddy over the fact that we were finally together, finally able to show our true feelings. The waves were rocking us back and forth, splashing water in our faces.

A memory came to my mind, of the first time Jacob had taken me swimming. I was only about 5 years old in non-human years, and I remember I had gotten really upset because I wanted to start attending school and my parents wouldn't let me. I had shut my bedroom door and started crying, not allowing anyone in, not even Aunt Rosalie who always soothed me. I was crying out loud, making a big scene, something telling me that any minute he would be there, because he always was. Finally Jacob appeared, climbing the tree right outside my window.

_-"Where's my girl? What did those mean leeches do to my Ness?" – _He had cooed.

_-"Jakey, they won't let me go to school!!! I want to learn, and play with other kids, and have teachers, and wear a backpack!!!"_

_-"Mmmm… excuse me little girl, but what happened to my Nessie?"_

_-"What do you mean? I'm right here!!!"_

_-"Oh no, the Reneseme Cullen I know would never throw a fit, would never lock herself in her room and would never fuss about something as silly as school, especially when she knows her parents are right."_

I had approached the window, rubbing my eyes with my tiny hands, Jacob just a leap away in the tree.

_-"Hmm… where could my Nessie have gone?"_ – He continued to play along, stretching to look past me and into my room, as if searching for the "real Nessie". His charm worked because I had started giggling.

_-"Jakey!!! It's me!!! You're so silly!!!"_

_-"Oh, there's my girl!!! Come on Nessie, I'll show you something that will make you forget about school."_

He took me swimming. It wasn't the first time I had gone swimming, but it certainly was the most fun. There was something about Jacob that made everything more enjoyable. Before I had known it, I was laughing and had forgotten all about not attending school. That day, after our swim, Jacob promised me that he would take me swimming every week until I'd be able to go to school, as sort of a consolation prize while I waited to go. He kept that promise until recently when I entered high school. Swimming with him had become such a part of my routine that it wasn't until now that I remembered how it all had started.

We stayed in the water far longer than usual, until even his body heat wasn't enough to keep me from shivering. We made our way to his car and he drove us to his house.

"Come in Ness, I'll get you some dry clothes." –Jacob disappeared into his room and I went to the kitchen to heat up a cup of water for tea. I felt extremely cold and was still dripping sea water all over.

"Where's Billy?"

Jacob came back into the living area with a handful of clothes. –"I think he's at your grandpa's house, Sue likes to cook for him and since I'm almost never here, he stays up there until pretty late."

"Oh." – Was all I could say, a million ideas popping into my head. Jacob caught my mood because he stopped laying the clothes out on the sofa and looked at me.

His shirt was wet along with the rest of his clothes, making every perfect muscle in his body stand out. His hair was still dripping water, like a little puppy that just got a bath. The whole scene was extremely arousing.

He started walking towards me, very slowly, still analyzing my mood. Anticipation started invading me, but I managed to stand still, waiting for him to make his move. Soon he was in front of me, his hands slightly shaking; the idea that I could do this to him with just standing still gave me goosebumps.

"Ness… you know we'll get in trouble." – His voice was deep and husky. It didn't sound like a warning, it sounded like an invitation.

"You promise?" – My answer made him smile, and before I knew it, he was kissing me.

He put his hands on my neck, caressing my jaw with his thumbs. The feeling of his scorching skin against my freezing body felt amazing, like lightning bolts wherever his body touched mine. I couldn't help myself; I wanted to feel more of him. I put my hands on his waist and began to pull his shirt up, trying to get it off. I could feel him smiling against my mouth. Once the stupid shirt was of, I was able to enjoy the rest of his body, the body that I had admired and desired for so long. I traced kisses all over his chest, from his bellybutton to his collarbone.

He groaned, and for a moment I thought maybe I had done something wrong, that is until he quieted my insecurity by taking me by my waist and hoisting me up on the kitchen counter, so that we were at eye level. That was all the encouragement I needed to continue kissing his glorious body.

"Ness…" – He whispered into my hair, as I continued kissing his neck. He was panting now and I'm pretty sure that I was too.

He lowered his hands and rested them on my thighs, squeezing them every time my lips touched his body. He was restraining himself, his firm grip on my thighs preventing him from moving his hands anywhere else.

All of my father's words came back to me and I instantly felt bad. I could only imagine the pain this scene would cause him. It's true I wanted Jacob, wanted him more than I've ever wanted anything, but I couldn't do this, my love for him went beyond any physical need. He would always be mine, there was no need to rush things.

The problem was, how could I possibly stop this? Jacob was now giving in, kissing and biting into my shoulders and I couldn't possibly push him away.

As if God had listened to me… and had a pretty sick sense of humor, in walked Seth pushing Billy on his wheelchair. We both jumped in surprise, Jacob taking a huge lunge so that he was a good 6 feet away from me. Even with our quick response time and Jacob's speedy retreat, we knew we'd been caught. Billy's eyes were in danger of popping out, looking from Jacob to me with terror and shock. I saw him take in our appearance and felt embarrassed, we both looked disheveled, pink in the face and my clothes were so wet you could probably see through them.

Seth on the other hand looked happy, no, not happy, thrilled. He had a smile that went ear to ear, moving his head up and down in sign of approval. I love the kid, but right now I felt like shooting him.

"So, how was dinner?" –Jacob's attempt to sound casual completely bombed. Billy put his face in his hands and inhaled deeply.

"Does Edward know about this?" –I was completely surprised by Billy's preoccupation; I always thought he hated vampires; why would he care about my father's feelings?

"Come on Billy, you know Edward… of course he knows."

"I doubt he knows about… about… _this._" – Billy was visibly angry, and for the first time I saw him as Jacob's father, not just the caring and wise man that Jake takes care of, but as an authority figure, someone Jacob would have to answer to, even obey.

"We weren't doing anything Billy, you know how much I love her."

"I for one think this is awesome!!! I mean… It's Jake and Nessie!!! You can't tell me Billy that it wasn't gut wrenching to watch Jake keep all those feelings to himself, now we won't have to put up with all the sulking." – Seth was still smiling like a mad man. Jake and I had been caught in a very compromising position by _his father_, and the kid thought it was "awesome". You've got to love him, although I still wanted to shoot him.

Billy returned to putting his head on his hands. He spoke and even though it came out muffled, I made out the words _"she's so young… 5 years old"._ While Billy had his eyes covered, Jacob sneaked a glance at me and winked. He seemed to actually be enjoying this, I couldn't believe it!!! First Seth, who really didn't surprise me because the kid is walking sunshine, but now Jake too. What is it with these wolves who never take anything seriously?

Finally Billy looked up at me; his expression towards me was different, kind. "Renesme dear, why don't you go and put on some dry clothes. It's getting late, Jacob should drive you home."

I didn't need to be told twice, I got down from the kitchen counter and didn't even pretend to be human, speeding through the living room picking up Jake's clothes and disappearing into his room in a flash of a second. Before long, Jake and I were in his car driving home.

Only a few minutes had passed since we pulled out of the garage and Jacob snorted and started laughing. Even though I still felt mortified, his laughter was so infectious that before I knew it I started laughing too.

"Aw Jake… is this the way it's always going to be? Between my crazy meddling family, my mind reading neurotic dad, your mind reading pack… " – I trailed of, realizing the magnitude of our problem. "Please don't tell me that by tomorrow your entire pack would have seen what just happened."

"You mean the hilarious look on Billy's face or Seth's goofball grin?"

"No, I mean before." – Just thinking about it made me feel tingly; it also repulsed me to think that everyone, even Leah who doesn't like me, would get to see me in that position though Jake's eyes _and _with his thoughts.

He hit the brakes and turned his whole body toward me, taking both my hands and sweetly kissing my palms.

"Ness, you're my life, your feelings are the most valuable thing for me, I would never let them see that, even if it kills me to not have to think about it, ok baby?" – I believed him and let go of my worries, that is, until we reached the cottage.

"You think your folks are home?"

"Yes, I can smell them in there. Listen Jake, I don't want to risk my dad listening in on your thoughts, so maybe we should say goodnight here."

"What if I don't want to say goodnight?"

"What do you mean?" – I knew exactly what he meant, because I felt it too. If when I was younger it was hard letting go of him at the end of the day and going to sleep without him, now that our relationship had blossomed, it was unbearable, pure and utter torture. Just the thought of not having him near me made me gasp for air. Last night had been difficult, so difficult that uncle Jazz had to stay with me long enough for me to fall asleep.

"Ness, I just can't, I can't go home and sleep alone in my tiny bed knowing you're far away from me… I know you probably don't feel the same, but please…" – I put my hand over his mouth; I couldn't bear another one of his words, so I put my palm on his cheek, showing him the agony of the night before, making him understand that I did feel the same.

When he opened his eyes I could see tears in them. "Ness… baby did I do that to you?"

"Jacob Black, you are really getting on my nerves… of course you didn't do that to me!!! I love you, I need you, I couldn't bear to be without you, it's not like you did something to hurt me!!! If you keep this up I'm going to have to spank some sense into you, you hear me?"

He was smiling now, really smiling.

"Did you say you would spank me?" – He wiggled his eyebrows, and as always I giggled.

"Ok, listen… I'll go inside, say hi to my parents, go to bed and in a few minutes you can climb up the tree and leap into my window."

"Um… I don't mean to contradict you Ness, but that worked for your parents because Charlie is human, but how is that possibly going to work for us? They'll hear me a mile away."

"No they won't, my parents become a bit "distracted" at nighttime, I doubt they'll hear you, especially since you're so graceful."

"In other circumstances that comment would have really bothered me… but right now… it's the best thing I've heard all day… well, except for you moaning into my ear, but that's a different story."

I smacked him over the head, too much of Aunt Rose in me, and got out of the car with a smile on my face. I could feel his gaze as I made my way up the stone steps and wondered how I looked in his oversize t-shirt, and nothing else.

"Hi mom, hi dad." – They were laying on the couch, my mom reading Romeo and Juliet for like the hundredth time and my dad playing with her hair.

"Hi honey, how was your day?" – I immediately focused on our swim and nothing else.

"Good, we went swimming. I'm kind of tired; I think I'll go to bed now. I love you, good night."

"Good night honey, sleep tight."

"Good night darling… and Nessie… just behave ok?" – I turned and saw my dad smiling at me. My heart sank; he probably heard us talking in the car or maybe could still smell Jacob outside waiting. However he found out, at least he didn't seem mad, so I just nodded and ran up the stairs to my room.

When I came in, I was surprised to find Jacob already inside, sitting on my bed. He smiled at me, his most innocent smile. I went to sit on his lap facing him, placing my legs on each side so that I was basically straddling him. He loosely placed his arms around my waist and rested his forehead to mine, inhaling deeply. I desperately wanted to kiss him again, but knew that if I started I would probably not be able to stop. So I settled for just kissing his forehead, then his nose, then both his cheeks. I wondered how I could love something so much. I always felt a pull toward Jacob, since I was a toddler, but until now I never quite understood the magnitude of my feelings for him, it was a bit overwhelming.

"You ready to go to bed Nessie?" – I nodded, got up from him and climbed into my bed, he did the same and soon we were both under the covers. He pulled me toward him and I rested my head on his bare chest, the familiar rhythm of his heart soothing me. We were both fast asleep in each other's arms and I wondered how in the past I could have managed to sleep without him next to me.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 8**

**Thank you for your reviews, really appreciate it!!! Keep them coming!!!**

**Nessie's POV**

Going to school became a daily struggle. Jacob and I had been together already for 3 weeks, and I found it hard to remember the time when we hadn't been together, at least not like this. These 3 weeks had been pure bliss, except for the unfortunate circumstance called "school". Like I said, everyday was a struggle, because going to school meant spending entire mornings without him. I envied my mom profusely, because she got to go to school with dad every day back when they attended; how she passed her classes I have no idea.

However, in the afternoons and weekends we were inseparable, even at nighttime when Jacob would sneak into my room; out of pure show of course, because we both knew my dad had long ago figured it out. As long as we didn't break any rules, he would pretend not to know and Jacob would pretend to sneak in; that way we were all happy.

The only small unhappiness in the situation: Aunt Rosalie. She still wouldn't talk to me and it started becoming harder every day. I needed her, this was an important moment in my life: full of changes and questions and excitement, and I yearned to talk to her about it. Sure I have my mom, but it's not the same, it would never be the same. Back before the whole Jacob thing started, Aunt Rose was my confidant, my guardian, my spoiler. Whenever mom got mad at me about something she would always take my side and negotiate with momma on a lesser punishment. Nevertheless, I couldn't help but feel that somehow I deserved this, because nobody should be this happy without having to pay a price for it in some way. Sure Jacob was worth ten aunt Rosalies, maybe even more, but her silence still hurt me and put a damper in an otherwise perfect situation.

"What are you thinking about?" – His voice brought me back from my sulking. We were hanging out on one of the trees next to the cottage. I was perched up on one of the top branches; face down with my legs dangling from the sides, while Jacob was laying on a lower and much sturdier branch with his hands behind his head, looking upwards at me. My aunt Alice would kill me if she saw what I was doing to the new dress she bought me, because it was already really wrinkled and had tree bark all over it.

"Um… nothing much."

"You're thinking about Blondie again, aren't you?"

"I don't want you to worry about that, ok Jake? I would hate if you felt remotely guilty and besides, it's not something for you to be concerned about."

"Whatever concerns you, concerns me Nessie; I would expect you to know that by now. I never thought things would turn out this way, I mean, she always fought with me and hassled me; but I honestly thought she'd be alright with this; even Emmet isn't talking to me."

"Uncle Jazz has been tuning into her emotions and says she's not nearly as upset as she's letting on, but he feels she's just too proud to accept things. And dad says she's been blocking her thoughts, so he's really not sure what's going on in her mind, but he thinks she'll come around, just like she came around with mom." – I remembered how my mom would tell me the story about how Rosalie never accepted her as a future sister, back when mom was human. I always found it hard to believe because they get along so well, obviously not nearly as well as momma and Alice who sometimes seem to be joined at the hip, but enough that anyone would think they're real flesh and blood sisters. Maybe this was just my auntie's MO, hate someone and then love them like family.

"I could go talk to her if you like."

"Mmm Jakey… I kind of like your head were it is, _thank you_." – We both laughed.

"Hey, you haven't called me "Jakey" since you were a toddler."

"Would you like me to start calling you that now?"

"Nope, I like better what you _do_ call me now."

"What?" – It was an honest question, because I didn't have any new pet names for him.

"Hot Stuff"

I started laughing harder than I'd ever laughed in my life, making the entire tree shake, tears dripping from my eyes. Jacob was laughing too, his barky laugh scaring the small animals around us. He started tickling and pulling my feet, saying in what seemed to be his impersonation of a parent: _"come down here little girl, I'll show you to laugh at me!!!"_

I finally gave up and threw myself on top of him.

"So, are you going to spank me, Mr. Hot Stuff?"

"Mmm, as I recall, you were the one that was going to do all the spanking." – I leaned closer to him and kissed him, he kept laughing quietly as I did, the vibration of his chest tickling me. He started pulling me closer to him by the back of my thighs, his huge hands making my dress rise up as he adjusted me higher up on his body. I knew things would get out of hand pretty soon, so I did the only thing I could think of to keep his hands from roaming; I bit his lower lip, hard.

"Ouch Ness." – He was sucking his lower lip like a baby and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Ahww, did the little half vampire hurt the big bad wolf?"

"Careful Nessie, if you keep biting me I won't have any more lips to kiss you with, and then what will you do?"

"Mmmm, I guess I'll have to find me some other puppy to smooch." – He barely let me finish my sentence, he pulled my face and kissed me with such passion that I forgot where I was, who I was. His hands were caressing me up and down my back, his touch hard. A moan escaped my lips and I felt him pull me even closer. He wasn't kissing me anymore, he was biting into me, ravishing my lips to the point I wondered if I would ever be able to use them again… I really didn't care.

And then, without warning, he stopped. He laid his head back down, put both hands over his face and groaned.

"What's wrong?" – I barely got the words out through all my panting.

"Dammit Nessie… I can't do this." – He was still covering his face. His words scared me, didn't he want me?

"You… don't want to?" – I couldn't hide the hurt from my voice.

"No baby… the problem is I _do_ want to… God… you have no idea how hot that was!!! Edward's really going to kill me!!! I didn't think I'd have these thoughts, but I'll be dammed if they didn't just show their ugly face just now. I'm a pervert."

He finally took his hands from his face and looked at me. He seemed ashamed.

"Jake, there's nothing wrong with that, I know you love me, having those thoughts just comes with the territory. You don't think my dad had those thoughts about mom? Sure he did, he just didn't act on them. Please Jake…" – I couldn't bear to see him so mortified, I figured this was probably the first time he actually felt all the urges I had been feeling all these days, all the urges I had felt the day before in his kitchen. Funny… you would think a guy like him would be the first one to want to take things to another level, but all along it had been me; my puppy had actually maintained innocent thoughts about me until now. Were these the kind of thoughts my dad said he _knew _Jake could be capable of? Is that why he felt guilty, because he was letting my dad down?

He pulled some loose strands of hair out of my face, tucking them behind my ear and half smiled. "I guess you're right, it's just difficult for me. I've been used to seeing you like a little girl for all this time; even as you started growing up, it would piss me off when guys looked at you. It made me sick to my stomach to think that maybe they were having bad thoughts about you, I wanted to kill them, and now I've become one of them."

There was sadness in his voice, disappointment. I put my hand on his cheek and projected all the wonderful things I see in him, the man I think he is, how proud I am of him, how loved I feel by him and how I know he truly respects me; every encouraging thought I could muster. He wouldn't let me finish, gently taking my hand from his cheek and kissing my knuckles.

"I don't deserve you Nessie."

"Yes you do Jake!!! There's nothing wrong with your thoughts, I'd be worried if by now you didn't have any!!! It's good that you want me, I want you too!!! If you pull away from me Jake, I swear to God this time _I will_ spank you!!!" – I didn't mean to shout but his self loathing was upsetting me.

"That's twice now that you've threatened and I haven't seen a thing." – He was teasing and yet I could still see the sadness in his eyes. I couldn't understand why he thought having sexual desires toward me would diminish his love for me, as if he were cheapening our relationship with lust. I hungered for him too, and in no way did that make my love less truthful, on the contrary, it made me love him even more; it meant that I just had a whole other dimension to love him in.

I wasn't in the mood to retort to his "spanking" comment and tease him back, his sadness and worry had invaded me; because I couldn't be happy if he wasn't, couldn't be funny if he had lost his humor. Instead, I kissed him softly over his puppy dog eyes and whispered in his ear _"cheer up, silly boy"._

We stayed in the same position for a while, me on top of him with my head resting on his chest, trying to figure out a way to help him sort out the confusing thoughts in his head. As we were lying still, I heard my parents talking inside the cottage; I wondered if they had overheard our conversation and if that would cause more trouble to an already complicated moment.

"Come on, I'm hungry… let's go tell Bella to make me something to eat." – It was obvious he wanted to change the subject and move on, so I let him. We got down from the tree and made our way to the cottage.

We came in and already I could smell something cooking in the kitchen. My dad was playing the piano and as soon as we walked in he smiled at Jacob, something he rarely does.

"Hello Jacob, it's good to see you. Hi darling." – He winked at me. Jacob turned and gave me a questioning look. The whole point of Jacob and my dad's relationship is that they both really like each other but never show it, pretending to fight and getting on each other's nerves. My dad's visible pleasure in seeing Jake was off.

"I suspected you might be hungry Jacob, so Bella decided to cook, pork chops and smashed potatoes, is that ok?"

"Ok, hold on a second… who the hell are you and what have you done with Edward?"

My dad chuckled. "What? I can't be nice to you?"

"Why start now?"

"Let's just say I've come to realized just how similar we are, I'm sorry to say that I've underestimated you Jacob… yet again. You must forgive me, I'm only a century old, there is still much for me to learn and you are truly full of surprises."

Before either of us could formulate a question, my mom came in with the food.

"Oh Edward… I think you'll get to be 200 years old and Jake will still achieve to surprise you."

"I think you might be right love, I just hope it's always in a good way."

They seemed to be oblivious to the fact that both Jake and I were standing right there. Finally my mom acknowledged our presence. She kissed my cheek, the coolness of her lips comforting me as always, and then went to do the same with Jacob, who was looking at her with suspicion.

"You heard our conversation?" – He was looking at my mom, but really the question was meant for dad.

"Believe me Jacob, its times like these when I _really_ wish I didn't have vampire ears, or the ability to read minds. If I thought having to bear your thoughts about Bella was hard, this… listening to your thoughts about my little girl and this time, knowing she reciprocates, is just about intolerable."

"Ok… then why do I still have a heart beat?"

"Like I said, we're actually very alike. I don't think any other man would have had the restraint to stop things when you did, considering the ideas you're brain was coming up with … I'm sorry Ness, this is awkward for me too…" – He glanced at me, probably reading my panicked brain; this was beyond embarrassing.

"But you did, Jacob, you stopped… and then, even though your actions were trying to be noble, you still felt like a monster, like you don't deserve her. I see now that perhaps you are even harder on yourself than I am on you. Again, we're very alike." – My dad smiled at my mom who was slowly placing the food plates on the dining table, she smiled back, obviously remembering something from their time together as boyfriend and girlfriend.

After everything my father had said, the only words that stuck in my brain were: _"If I thought having to bear your thoughts about Bella was hard…"_ I couldn't wrap my head around it, I immediately felt jealous, sure it's my mom and sure he doesn't feel that way anymore, but it killed me to think that he had actually desired someone besides me; just how much had he wanted her? Did he ever do something to show her? Was he as controlled with her as with me? I would have to work hard at keeping those thoughts out of my brain, otherwise I'll go crazy.

"Nothing ever happened." – Mi dad was looking straight at me, breaking from his repertoire towards Jacob. Sometimes I hated when he did that, but today I was glad, his words calmed my jealousy.

Jacob looked both annoyed and confused, like he wasn't entirely sure what my dad was telling him, and even though he knew it was something good, he seemed irritated by the violation of our intimacy, the violation of the thoughts he was so ashamed of. He seemed to be at a conflict as to what to say next, so much so, that he didn't even notice my dad's comment to me.

"Ok, I know that look on Jake's face… why don't we change the subject, alright love?"

Dad nodded and mom signaled us to come to the dining room. Jake was still looking confused but sat down beside me and began to eat the enormous dinner my mom had cooked. I held his hand under the table, trying to reassure him, while my parents and I talked. Once dinner was over, Jake said he better get going to his patrol. I could sense he needed some time to himself and as much as I wanted to be near him, I wanted even more for him to sort everything out in his head.

He said goodbye to mom very unenthusiastically and then just nodded to dad, who said – "And Jacob, what I said earlier doesn't change the fact that any misbehaving _will_ result in death, just so we're clear."

Jacob growled at dad and said through clenched teeth – "You worry about Bella and I'll worry about _my_ Nessie."

He took my hand and practically pulled me out of the cottage, once we were outside he turned to look at me, with not one trace of the anger he had shown dad. I wondered if he could ever get angry at me.

"I need to go Ness… need some time to think things through… today has been a lot for me, I'm still not comfortable with the idea of thinking of you that way… no matter what the leech says."

"It's ok Jake… so I guess I'll see you tomorrow, it's Saturday so aunt Alice will probably take me shopping, but we'll talk."

"Tomorrow? You don't want me to come over tonight?" – I could see the anxiety all over his face.

"Of course I do… but you just said you needed time to think… I thought you… you meant time away from me."

"Well right now… during my patrol… but I can't really think and sort things out while I'm sleeping, and I can't sleep without you."

"Neither can I." – He smiled for the first time since the incident on the tree and relief washed over me, as if uncle Jasper where next to me. He leaned towards me and I searched for his lips, tilting my head up to reach them, but all he did was kiss my forehead. I pouted and he laughed at my disappointment.

"You can't always get what you want Ness."

"I thought you said my wish was your command… are you saying you lied to me Jacob Black?"

I knew I had him, because he took hold of my waist, far more careful than usual, and lightly kissed me. He then quickly turned away and phased on the spot, not even bothering to take of his clothes, leaving traces of them all over the forest bed and leaving me yearning for more. I went back inside and played the piano with dad for a bit until it was bedtime. I made my way up to my room, put on my pajamas and opened my window, the beautiful portal that allowed my Jacob to come in and be with me every night. Lying on my bed I awaited, hoping he would be in too much of a hurry to bother to go pick up a new set of clothes to put on, a girl could only dream.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 9**

**Sorry I took a little longer to update… I promise the next ones will come sooner!!! Pretty please review so I know you're still reading and interested!!!**

**Nessie's POV**

_I'm running through the forest in what seems like slow motion. I can feel the wet grass and dirt beneath my bare feet, the soft evening breeze blowing my hair and cold sweat dripping from my neck. Anxiety and fear are invading my body but I don't understand why, I realize this is a dream of course, but can't seem to make out the cause of my affliction. I turn my head in all directions but can't find any sort of threat. My body is aching; I look down and realize I'm covered in blood, my blood. I keep running, I have a destination, something pulling me forward when I should be passed out already. I don't like this dream, my vision is blurry and I can barely feel my body, apart from my frantic racing heart and the pain coming from my torso. In the distance I can make out a huge furry figure; my pace quickens, I know it's him, relief is soon to come, I know he'll make everything alright. Once I'm close enough to take in his enormous figure I realize something is wrong, very wrong; his eyes are yellow, teeth bared and blood covered, his hair is filthy and black; this isn't Jacob, it's not even a wolf, not like the ones I know. Panic hits me like a shock wave and I try to stop and run away, but can't. Before I know it I'm facing him, a gruesome and evil creature that smells unlike anything I've ever smelt. Wake up!!! Wake up!!! I cry to myself. _

_My breathing is ragged and his stare sends chills up my spine. He turns his focus from me and looks at the floor beneath his massive paws, a smile curling his lips. I'm afraid to look, afraid to take my eyes of the monster; I'm shivering with fear, my eyes glued to his sneering face. I want to wake up!!! Finally curiosity beats me and I look down, realizing immediately I shouldn't have, because beneath the creature lies the most horrible scene: Jacob, my Jacob… dead. _

I woke up with a start, sobs and the sound of my own pounding heart echoing in my ears. My entire body was shaking, slight screams escaping my lips. I felt disoriented, the panic not allowing me to focus.

"Nessie!!! Nessie!!! Baby, what's wrong?!!! Please baby… it's ok… I'm here… your safe!!!

His voice brought me back to reality, the nightmare slipping away. Jacob was in bed with me, both his hands on my face. He was frantically looking up and down at me, trying to asses if I was physically injured. The torment I saw in him gave me the all the strength I needed to control myself, because I couldn't let him worry like that for me.

"Jake… I… I had a nightmare." – It sounded childish and irrelevant, this had been much more. An image of Jacob lying dead popped in my head and another sob escaped me. Jacob didn't seem to think it was childish; he still had torment in his face and was kissing my cheeks and forehead, rubbing his hands up and down my back in a soothing manner.

"It's ok Nessie… I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you… shhh… just breath baby, it'll be alright."

He hugged me for at least half an hour until my sobs subsided and my heartbeat regained its usual speed. I was taking in big breathes, hoping to cleanse myself of the horrible images and thoughts that were invading me. I knew it was a dream, I knew Jacob was fine; I had him right now, in my arms, holding me and whispering comforting words. I knew all this, but somehow the fear was still there, somehow the panic had not yet left me. I had never thought about Jacob dying, hadn't ever considered it; why would I, when death seemed like something far away, something only humans have to deal with. The thought that it actually could happen was more than I could stand.

Once my breathing slowed down he broke the hug, pulling back enough to look at me while still keeping his arms securely around me.

"Ness… are you ok? Do you need anything?" – The tone of his voice reminded me of my childhood and the way he would speak to me with such care when I was a baby. He was brushing the leftover tears from my cheeks.

"Just you." – The worry left his face and was replaced with a smile, not a wide grin, but a sweet smile.

"I've never seen you have a nightmare like that… I even felt it, it woke me up even before you did. Do you want to tell me about it?"

"No, saying it out loud will only make it real."

"But it's not Ness… you do know that right? I'll protect you from anything." – It wasn't me I was worried about. I knew Jacob could protect me, but what about me? Could I protect _him_?

"It's a good thing Bella and Edward aren't home, they would have freaked and probably burst into the room, making our little secret finally public."

"But dad knows you spent the night… it would have only broken the illusion of our secret…. That's weird, why aren't they home?"

"I guess before they worried about your safety and had to stay here all night, but now since they know I'm here, they sort of feel free to go and do whatever they want."

I put my hands on both sides of his face and kissed him. I needed to feel his love, needed to forget about the dream and remind myself that he was here and wasn't going anywhere. I was happy when he kissed me back with just as much passion, I had been afraid that after the tree incident and my father's blatant disregard for privacy, he would back away from me. His kiss was deep and thorough, like somehow he knew it would erase my nightmare. It worked, because after a few minutes all I could think of was Jacob, not the dead one from my dream, but the Jacob sitting down in my bed, impregnating his scent all over my sheets and caressing me in such a way that I suddenly felt very thankful that my parents weren't home.

"How do you feel now?"

"Mmmm… better, although I could use a little bit more of this." – I said this while pulling him from his t-shirt back towards me. He laughed and broke away from our embrace.

"We don't want to push our luck Ness… I don't know what I would do if Edward ever forbids me to stay the night."

"He can't… I belong to you… now get back here." – Jacob laughed once more but didn't come close to me again.

"Ness, I've got 2 hours before I have to get up… I've been skipping afternoons at the workshop and I'm really behind on this car I'm working on… if I keep it up I'll be out of a job."

"You mean you're working tomorrow… Saturday?"

"Yep… but Pixie is taking you shopping right? So I'll be here when you get back."

"Fine." – I wasn't convinced but could see he was tired, so we lay back down, rolling over so we were facing the same direction, Jacob behind me. He put his arm around me and pulled me from my waist toward him. I took hold of his arm and wrapped it closer to me, knowing his protection would keep the nightmare away. I felt him nuzzled his face in my curls and in a matter of seconds he was snoring.

When I woke up 3 hours later he was gone, leaving a small note on my pillow.

_Ness,_

_I'll be back for lunch so we can go hunting. Have fun with Pixie. I love you, miss you already._

_Hot Stuff_

The note made me laugh; leave it to Jacob to always know how to lighten my spirits. I wondered if it was an imprinting thing or something he would be able to do regardless.

I took a shower, got dressed and headed for the big house, where I was sure to find everyone. As I walked through the forest I remembered my dream. This time, the image that made its way to my brain was not Jacob, but the horrifying wolf-like creature. I had been so overwhelmed by the sight of Jacob's corps that I had forgotten all about the monster. As I tried to make sense of it, my mind replayed a conversation: _"They found this like warehouse full of bodies… some sort of new species of wolves… like mutants or something… human DNA… genetic disease… Volterra."_

I started running toward the house. I had been so happy spending my days with Jacob that I had completely blocked out the impending information I had gotten 3 weeks ago. As soon as I entered, my father came out to greet me, so I quickly placed my hand to his cheek and projected the entire conversation as well as my dream, blocking out my feelings so it wouldn't be too much for him. I knew he could have read the thoughts right out of my brain, but I was used to placing my hand on people's cheeks and something about it made it feel intentional, like he wasn't reading my thoughts without permission, like it was _me_ showing him.

"It's alright darling; you don't need to worry about this."

"But the Voltury!!! You don't think it's a coincidence do you?"

"I don't have enough information to asses that. I'll go upstairs and tell Carlyle; maybe he knows something about this incident. We'll get to the bottom of this Nessie, I promise. In the meantime, I don't want you to worry about this; that dream you had was pretty awful and I don't want you having any more. It's in our hands now, ok?"

"Ok dad, I trust you and grandpa."

"One more thing, I'm sorry for the way I handled things yesterday… your mother thinks it was pretty embarrassing for you and I realize that now… I guess I've been so used to knowing every intimate thought of the members of this family and having no secrets and no subjects being taboo, that I didn't realize that it's actually not acceptable to handle things the way I did. I apologize."

"It's ok dad… I'm sort of used to it too, to tell you the truth… but Jacob was pretty upset, so I guess it would be best if you didn't talk about those things him."

"Agreed. Now go say hi to Alice… she's trying to convince your mom to go shopping with you two, maybe you can persuade her otherwise." – I nodded and headed toward the library, where I found my poor momma sitting with a book in her lap and an exasperated look on her face. Aunt Alice was standing in front of her jumping up and down and talking really fast, her voice chiming like a bell through the room.

"Oh, come on Bella!!! Are you really going to say no to me? Your favorite sister? There are so few pleasures that I get in life… please… pretty please!!! You haven't bought clothes in over a month, a month!!! It's unacceptable Bella Cullen and I will not stand for it, look at those sweats and that t-shirt… cotton!!! Maybe Edward let's you get away with everything but not me missy!!! Please… you don't even care about clothes… make me happy… I can't stand what you're wearing!!! Are you really going to deny me this small tiny pleasure, 5 insignificant hours out of your eternal life?"

"Ohh God Alice… I thought that by having Nessie as a shopping partner you'd leave me off the hook."

"Nope, and you know why? Because you are irreplaceable and not substitutable, Bella… I love you!!! Don't you love me?" – Auntie Alice was pouting now, her angelic face looking adorable. I knew my mom would give in at this, she hated when Aunt Alice would doubt her love for her.

"Don't _you_ love _me_ Alice? You know I hate shopping and wearing designer clothes."

"It is because I love you that I sometimes have to force you into doing something that is for your own good. So… are you going to make me sad or happy?"

My mom sighed and I couldn't help but chuckle silently. "Fine, I'll make you happy."

Alice was hugging my mom, her pout gone and replaced by a brilliant smile.

"Weren't you supposed to help me Renesme?" – My mom was looking at me with a smile while Aunt Alice danced all around the library. She probably heard my conversation with dad.

"Sorry momma… but you know by now there's no convincing Auntie Alice."

"That's right, you see? Even your daughter knows best!!! So, let's get a move on, we have to get to Seattle, I really wanted to go to New York, but since Nessie can't be away from her pup for more than half a day… we'll have to make due. You see, I can compromise."

Both mom and I snorted at her comment, if Alice was good at anything it was getting her way. I was sure one of these days she would be able to drag me away from Jake and towards New York.

Aunt Alice hurried downstairs to wait for us while mom and I said goodbye to dad, who was on his way to grandpa's office.

Mom and dad kissed for far much longer than necessary; like I said, I can never get used to living in a house full of horny teenagers. In a way I've always suspected that mom hates shopping mostly because it means spending time away from dad. I thought of the time when dad left her. Aunt Rosalie told me the story, because it was something my parents never spoke about, I even think mom conveniently let that part fade away with most of her blurry human memories. I always thought that it was a bit of an overreaction to turn catatonic in my dad's absence, it always felt crazy to me to need someone so much… until now. Seeing my parents say goodbye with such passion, knowing they'd see each other in just 5 hours, made me think of Jacob. I never quite felt whole when he was away, not even when I was a child. Some of my earlier memories consist of Aunt Rose holding me, with a bottle of blood in her hand, and me stretching my little baby hands towards her, showing her I wanted to see the big dark skinned boy. Back then I had no idea who he was; I was too small to know anything, but I remember wanting him near, the same way I wanted my momma near.

Finally my parents broke apart.

"Have fun." – My dad was smiling his crooked smile and was teasing mom, who growled at him.

"Bye dad, love you." - He kissed my forehead and we made our way downstairs. Aunt Alice was already at the door with an impatient look on her face, her arms folded over her chest, tapping her foot on the floor.

"You two are so slow for vampires, let's go!!!"

The three of us were walking toward the door when suddenly it opened and in walked Aunt Rosalie followed by Uncle Emmet. As soon as she saw me her expression changed. I had barely seen her the last 3 weeks, her and Uncle Em had taken various trips since Jacob and I got together; the only times I had seen her, she had left running and not allowed me to talk to her. This chance encounter at such a short distance was rather rare and very uncomfortable.

"Oh - oh" - Uncle Em tried to keep things light, but when he saw that her mood didn't change, he quickly darted out of the entrance hall and made his way to the TV room.

"Rose, we're going shopping, would you like to come with us? Look, even Bella is going." – Aunt Alice's cheerfulness was in huge contrast with the situation.

"No, I don't think so, but thank you sis." – She started walking past us and I couldn't contain myself.

"Rosie? Please talk to me…" – I called her "Rosie", the way I always did, the way she liked. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to look at me, a stone expression on her face.

"Renesme, I think I've made it very clear that I'm not interested."

"But why not? You knew, like the rest of them, that this would happen eventually. Aren't you happy for me? I know you say you hate Jacob, I know you think he's this gross dog with no manners, but he's been in our lives for so long, he's family, I would think that even _you_ consider him that. And above all Aunt Rosie… he loves me and I love him, the way you love Uncle Em, the way a vampire loves his mate, the way my mother loves dad. How can you object to that? Who else could make me happy? Who else could ever be enough for me if not him?"

Mom and Alice were staring in expectance at Aunt Rosalie, who all of a sudden looked very much like a vampire; she was standing stone still, no expression visible on her perfect face. I walked closer to her, feeling a lump in my throat.

"I know in my heart that you don't really dislike Jacob, please Aunt Rosie… I need you in my life… I miss you."

"Nessie… I miss you too… but I can't… I can't approve of this… he'll take you away from us, I know it… he's not a vampire… he doesn't belong."

"I'm not a vampire either; does that mean _I _don't belong? He doesn't want to take me away Rosie, he loves you, all of you, because he knows how important you are to me. He's willing to put up with the smell and the fact that his entire wolf existence was created to fight you, to hate you, just so that he can be with me. Can't you do the same? Can't you forget he's a werewolf, forget he's a Quileute, forget you don't like him and embrace him because he's my love, my world?"

I saw how Aunt Rose's expression softened and finally resembled the woman I love. She smiled at me and took in a big breath.

"I'm sorry Nessie… you know how I am. You're right, I knew this day would come, I just didn't think it'd get here so fast." – I could see pain in her eyes and felt horrible.

"You haven't lost me Rosie… you'll never lose me… not unless you keep giving me the silent treatment." – Aunt Alice and mom were looking from me to Rose with amusement, thinking Rose would snap at any moment, but she didn't.

"Alright Nessie… I'm done with my little temper tantrum… I'll learn to cope with it… just promise me you won't be going around the house making out with him, I don't want to vomit all over Esme's white carpet." – I knew she was teasing, but I also knew she meant it.

"You can't even vomit, Rosie."

All of a sudden I heard loud clapping. Uncle Em was walking back toward the entrance hall, a huge goofy grin on his face and his big bear hands producing the loudest clap ever known to man.

"Awww… my two girls have finally made up!!! Does that mean I can talk to Jake again? Or better yet, does that mean I can make fun of these two love birds? I've got a lot of nasty jokes backed up in me."

Aunt Rose rolled her eyes and Emmet cringed thinking a slap on the head was coming, it didn't, but his reaction made us all laugh.

"Ha ha, very funny. Ok, you two hug already!!!"

Aunt Rose and I hugged while everyone clapped and cheered. While she was hugging me she whispered _"Don't tell the pup that I'm alright with this, I want to torture him a little longer."_ I couldn't help but laugh, because if the situation were the other way around, I'm sure Jacob would have said the same thing.

Aunt Rose still decided not to go shopping, so the three of us made our way to Seattle.

Five hours later, we were on our way home with a trunk full of clothes and shoes. Poor momma was forced to purchase 3 really expensive and really over the top sexy dresses and matching stilettos, the kind of outfits she wouldn't be caught dead in. Aunt Alice not only shopped for herself but brought back clothes for the entire family, including Jacob. I knew Jake wouldn't wear the preppy things she got him, but it was still a nice gesture. I on the other hand looked for things that I knew would make any man's head turn, hopefully it would be Jacob's. At the end of the trip I had a bag full of really cute and girly sundresses, spaghetti strap tops, little skirts and shorts and a few new pieces of underwear that I kept hidden from both mom and Alice. I knew I wouldn't actually _do_ anything with Jake, at least I didn't think so, but I felt better knowing I would wear nice things around him, just in case.

As soon as we were 5 minutes away from home my butterflies started acting up. Would I always be this excited to see him? Mom heard my heart and took hold of my hand, smiling at me. Soon enough the other great person in my life would be doing the same.

**Jacob's POV**

I spend the entire morning feeling guilty. My Nessie had had a horrible nightmare, had been scared to death, had been sobbing for almost an hour, and still I had left her to come to work. This relationship stuff was hard; not the being with her, that was as easy as breathing, but everything else. My boss was really pissed off at me, the last 3 weeks I hadn't showed up to work in the afternoons, giving him bullshit excuses every time. It was times like these when I really despised the leeches, because they get to do whatever they want all day long because they're loaded; I on the other hand have to work my ass off.

The only upside is that I'm actually a damn good mechanic, which means I can finish the job faster than anyone in the workshop, which means that while my boss can get pissed at me, sooner or later it passes when he sees I finish the job on time and first-rate.

As soon as the clock stroke 1:00 pm, I threw my tools in my toolbox and ran for the door. I raced the Rabbit as fast as it could go until I reached the Cullen house. I practically jumped out of the car and went in the house, not even bothering to knock, I was passed being polite. Once I entered I saw Nessie showing off what looked like a new dress to Blondie, who was sitting crossed legged on the sofa, smiling in approval. The dress seemed pretty much like any other dress she owns; except for one tiny difference… it was ridiculously and outrageously short!!! What was she trying to do? Kill me? Have me killed by Edward? As if everything I said the night before meant nothing, she had to go and buy the sexiest god damn dress she could get her hands on. I suddenly felt the urge to go find Pixie and pull off an arm or two.

Edward walked into view, Bella by his side, and I could see he wasn't pleased by this either, he wasn't even enjoying my distress like he always does. He didn't look at me but I knew he was reading my thoughts, because he had a pained expression on his face and he was frowning at Nessie who seemed not to even notice him.

"Jake!!!" – She ran towards me and hugged me; I hugged her back but kept my distance, maintaining a safe cushion of air between our bodies. When she pulled back I could tell there was a certain lightness to her; and then it hit me, Rosalie.

"Did you make up?" – I whispered, hoping it was low enough that Blondie wouldn't listen.

A big smile spread across Ness' face and I knew the answer was "yes".

"The fact that my niece and I made up and are speaking again has nothing to do with the fact that I still despise you, I hope that's clear dog." – Blondie had gotten up and was gracefully walking toward where Emmet was watching a football game, looking at me with as much hatred as her face could muster.

"Good Blondie, I enjoy pissing you off, I just hope my lifetime with Nessie will do the trick."

Nessie swatted my chest and gave me a reproachable look, enough for me to hold my tongue. Blondie actually looked hurt and for the first time in all the years I'd known her, I felt sorry for her. I also felt like a jerk.

"Hey Blond…. I mean… Rosalie… I didn't mean to be rude; I thought you were joking, like always."

"For Nessie's sake I won't fight with you anymore dog, but tread lightly; just because you've been hanging around us all this time doesn't mean you belong, got it? I've put up with you because of my darling niece, but don't think for one moment that you already have your ticket in just because you imprinted on her, you still have to earn your way. You're a dog that cast a magic spell on my niece, nothing more." – In all my life, I had never been so insulted. Rosalie had many times before called me worse things than "dog", but everything she had just said hurt me in such a way that if I were a girl, I'm sure I'd be crying right about now.

_Earn my way_? Was she actually talking about money? Hadn't I already _earned my way_ by forcing my pack to protect them? And what was all that crap about me _not belonging_? I belong with Nessie… I belong with Bella… hell, I even belong with Edward!!! All this time I actually felt that Blondie considered me family, that she just got a kick out of harassing me. Was I wrong? Was I wrong about everyone else? Did the rest of them see me like that, like I wasn't good enough for Nessie? Or worst, like she's forced to love me because of some magic spell?

I regretted having felt sorry for her and apologizing like a moron. I was reminded just why I started hating her guts in the first place.

Edward walked toward Blondie who was making her exit after butchering me. He took hold of her by the arm and with a menacing look growled at her. She looked at him perplexed, almost scared. Without a word, Edward pulled her away from us and left the house. Half a second later, Emmet was running after them, hollering warnings at Edward. Not even the fantasy of Edward pulling one of her limbs off could cheer me up.

Nessie turned to look at me and her face mirrored the way I felt. She placed her hand on my cheek.

"_Are you ok, puppy?" –_ She projected, apparently too taken aback to speak.

"No." – I couldn't lie to her and I desperately needed her to comfort me.

"Aunt Rose didn't mean it Jake, I don't know why she said that, but it's not true. It's just her way; she used to say horrible things to mom when she was human, right momma?" – Bella was standing in the same spot were Edward had left her. She was looking at me with reassurance.

"Jake, whatever Rose may say or do, Edward and I are your family and nothing can ever change that. Even if you would have never imprinted on Nessie, you would still be a part of our lives and we would still love you, _she_ would still love you. Now, if you excuse me… I have to go rip Rose's head off."

Bella left toward the forest where the rest of them had disappeared and even though I knew she meant every word, I still felt horrible.

Nessie was looking at me intently, reading my features. When she spoke, her anger surprised me.

"No, I won't let her do this to you." – She said it more to herself than to me.

Before I could ask her anything, she was running out of the house, following the others. I did the same.

When we got to the clearing where everyone was, the scenario was pretty crazy. Emmet was standing in front of Rosalie, both of them in a defensive crouch. Opposite them were Edward and Bella. Bells had on her crazy murderous look, like the one she gave me when she found out I had imprinted on Ness. She too was crouching and baring her teeth, more on the offensive. In the middle of it all was Edward, he was standing upright completely calm, his face not showing any sign of turmoil as the others.

"I'm not going to attack you Emmet, don't be ridiculous."

"Sorry bro, but you're not touching Rose."

"Do you actually believe that I would be capable of such a thing?... Rosalie, come out from behind Emmet and let me talk to you like a decent person, like the kind of person we both know you're not." – Edward's voice was calm and velvet, but somehow it sounded extremely frightening.

Rosalie stopped crouching and walked up next to Emmet, her face smug as if she hadn't just been hiding a second ago. Bella relaxed her pose once Rosalie and Emmet stood upright, although her teeth were still bared.

"Thank you. Now Rose, I put up with a lot from you when Bella and I were starting out. You were disrespectful and rude to her, you made her feel unwelcomed, even though you knew how long I'd been alone. It didn't matter to me much then because your approval was never something I strove for. However, my daughter loves you and does need you approval."

"I've already made up with Nessie, it's that dog the one I can't stand." – I felt Nessie stiffen at her words.

"Call him what you will, we owe a lot to Jacob. He was willing to stick up for us when the wolves wanted to kill Nessie, even when he knew nothing about her, even when he was still in love with Bella and despised me, despised all of us. The next time you insult him, you should think about how your beloved niece is alive because of him."

Bella was growling now. No matter how long she's been a vamp, I've never gotten used to that, I don't think I ever will. Human Bella would have been terrified by now, I missed that.

"Oh Bella, stop with the overreaction." – Rosalie was obviously put off by Edward's words, and since she couldn't contradict him, I guess she decided to direct her anger at someone else. It was a huge mistake, because Bella launched herself at her. She would have probably taken her head off if Edward hadn't been fast enough to restrain her. He was smiling now, amused by Rosalie's reaction to Bells. On second thought, maybe I do like vampire Bella better.

"Rose, I love you, but if you ever speak to Jacob that way again… I swear to God I'll pull your head off!!! Either you behave or I'll make you behave!!!"

"I'd like to see you try that Isabella!!!"

"STOP!!!" – Nessie screamed at the top of her lungs, walking forward into the clearing. I followed closely, afraid she might get hurt. As soon as everyone heard her, they all stepped back.

"This has gone far enough. I thought we had already settled this Aunt Rose. If it comes between you and Jacob I will choose Jacob!!! Hell, even if it comes between Jacob and my parents, I would still choose Jacob!!! I hope that's clear enough for you. We're a packaged deal; you can't have me as your niece if you don't have him. I know you have your ways, I know you sometimes say hurtful things without even thinking, but I hope that _you_ know that this is the last time I'll stand to watch you belittle Jake. If it happens again, it won't be my momma; it'll be _me_ the one that rips your head off."

Blondie looked like she was about to cry, if she could anyway. I on the other hand felt terrific. Hearing my Nessie defend me that way was amazing, I felt like sweeping her off her feet and kissing her all over. Edward rolled his eyes at me and I couldn't help but smile back at him.

"I'm sorry… I didn't really mean it… I just got angry… he was showing off the fact that he had won, I couldn't stand it…" – Either she's a really good actress or she really was sorry, because remorse was reflected in all of her words. Emmet was by her side, his arm around her, very serious for once.

"It's not about winning, this isn't some sort of contest, why is everything a competition for you?"

"Your right… I'm sorry… I really am… I usually just bother Jacob for fun, today was completely inexcusable and I know I went overboard. I didn't mean it." – She looked at me, that last statement directed at me.

"I don't want to go through this again Aunt Rose, I want to be able to bring Jacob home and not have to deal with your displeasure. Please tell me you'll finally let go of you pride and just accept it already, I know deep down inside you already have, but can you show it?"

Blondie nodded and whispered _"I promise."_

"Ok, now give Jacob a hug."

Everyone stared at Nessie, eyes wide in shock, including me.

"Um… Ness… hmm… I don't think that's necessary." – I was completely mortified.

Edward was the first to laugh, probably reading in Nessie's mind that it was a joke. Bella and Emmet soon followed, Emmet shaking Blondie's shoulder with his arm, as if cheering her on to laugh as well. I barely got out a chuckle, the idea of hugging Rosalie still creeping me out. Nessie was giggling profusely, looking at me with a mischievous expression.

"But seriously, there should be some sort of gesture." – Bella was trying to sound serious but couldn't quite keep a straight face.

"I could pat his head?" – Everyone laughed even harder at Rosalie's joke, including me. It wasn't even that funny, but I guess we needed to wind down after the intense confrontation. When we were all done laughing and everyone was visibly relaxed, Nessie decided it was time to go. We'd been waiting all morning to finally be together, alone. She said we had to go hunting and that it was getting late, so we all started leaving the clearing. Ness was walking in front of me and before I knew it, my eyes were wandering her body, especially her long toned legs. I imagined how she'd look like taking down a deer wearing that tiny excuse for a dress. My mind started involuntarily producing scandalous images, images of us together. The skin in her upper thighs looked delicious and soft, glowing like the rest of her skin when exposed to sunlight. I wanted to kiss every inch of her glorious skin, and now that I'd seen more of her, I desperately wanted to take off that skimpy little dress and find out what else I'd been missing.

I heard a faint growl and turned to see Edward, who had his hands in fists and his eyes pressed closed, containing himself, his nostrils flaring. It would have been pretty funny if he would have killed me right then, considering a second ago he was defending me against Blondie.

"Ness, don't you think you should go change? That's hardly an appropriate outfit to go hunting, you might mess it up." – Edward's voice sounded flat, probably from trying to hide the irritation from his tone.

"It's ok dad, I'll be careful. Besides, it's new, I feel like wearing it." - Nessie gave Edward her most brilliant and innocent smile, the kind no dad could resist, in fact_ I_ was having a hard time resisting it.

I looked over at Edward and with a wicked smile shrugged my shoulders, tilting my head to the side, as in _"sorry dude, nothing you can do."_

"Alright darling, it's your call if you want to stomach the wrath of Alice."

"Oh, you're right… I _really_ wouldn't want _that_…"

It was Edward now who was giving me a dirty smile, damn leech.

"Jake, would you wait for me here, I'll just go change… be back in two seconds." – She sped off toward the cottage. Edward took hold of Bella's hand and started walking away, but not before turning his head toward me and saying – "Hmm, turns out there _was_ something I could do… dude."

I cursed under my breath and Bella started laughing.

"Tell me later?" – She asked Edward, knowing he was probably making fun of me, like always.

"Of course love." – They raced off, leaving me alone in the clearing. Rose and Emmet had existed quickly once Ness declared the confrontation over. I didn't like feeling this way about Nessie, it felt wrong. No, strike that… it felt right, more than right, amazing._ That_ was the scary part, I felt like some sort of child molester… like some creep boyfriend who can't stop thinking about sex. Nessie deserves more than that, she doesn't deserve some guy drooling over her and wanting to feel her up, treating her like some object. I would never say it out loud, and much less think it within a five block radius of Edward, but the cocky leech had set the bar really high. I felt like I had to live up to him and the way he loved and treated Bella before they were married, because Nessie would probably be expecting that, expecting me to be as perfect as dad. I cursed again; the damn leech had been like a monk, how could I possibly copy that when I wanted her so bad?

I felt her sweet scent and new she was getting close. She emerged from the forest wearing jeans and a t-shirt, her hair pulled back and no shoes.

"Ready?"

"Yep, wanna race?"

"No… I'm pretty drained actually, can I ride you?" – I felt my face get hotter than usual and was glad my skin is dark; otherwise I'd be blushing and would have to explain myself.

"Sure, I'll just go take these off." – I went behind a tree, stripped and phased. When I got back I realized Nessie was now the one blushing. I couldn't ask her, so I just let her sit on top of me and soon I was running, tracking a herd of deer. Surely the exercise would take a bit of the edge off.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 10**

**Nessie's POV**

Things between Rosalie and Jacob significantly changed, well… sort of. They still made fun of each other, bickered and bantered, but at least there was no _real_ hostility. The entire situation was resolved to the point where Aunt Rose would even help me get ready for our dates and give me advice.

Dad and grandpa spent several days researching the wolf incident in Volterra but came up short on information. Apparently the Voltury had dissolved the investigation and the entire matter was buried. Grandpa contacted several of his friends from around the world just to check if anyone knew anything, but again, most of them hadn't even heard about it. At the end of it, grandpa came to the conclusion that the creatures they had found were probably real werewolves, not like Jake, but full moon, uncontrollable sort of werewolves, the kind the Voltury had believed Jacob and the others to be. He said that it was probable that the werewolves had arrived in Volterra and were turning people, hence the amount of bodies found in the warehouse. Dad said he can only assume that the Voltury had killed them, preventing them to spread and threaten their village. The only loop hole in their hypothesis was the shabby job of disposing of the bodies, because the Voltury are known for being discrete and it was sort of odd that the police so easily found the poorly stashed bodies. But then again, even the Voltury can sometimes make mistakes.

After dad and grandpa came to that conclusion, I was finally free of any worries.

It was the end of the month, which meant that a bonfire was due at La Push. This would be the first bonfire I would attend as Jacob's girlfriend, which made me a little nervous. It was ridiculous of course, considering I'd gone to so many of them and all the guys where probably my closest circle of friends. Either way, I wanted to look my best, so Aunt Rose agreed to do my hair and makeup; nothing to elaborate, just a nice loose French braid, some mascara and blush. I usually don't wear a drop of makeup so I didn't want to end up looking like a drag queen. Thankfully all the decades of my aunt doing her own makeup paid off.

However, when it came down to my wardrobe, I was stumped. I usually wear jeans and a sweater to the bonfires, but tonight I really felt like wearing one of the dresses I'd bought with Alice. I stood in front of my enormous closet for several minutes deciding on what to do. I didn't want to appear over dressed or like I was trying too hard, considering my usual attire to these things is casual, but I also felt that tonight was important. Finally my girlyness got the best of me and I went for the dress. Once it was on I realized just how reveling it was. I knew that had been the intention when buying it, but suddenly I felt self conscious. Even though my growth spurt had slowed down a few years ago, I was still changing constantly and the most recent changes consisted of my butt and hips getting slightly bigger, as well as my breasts. The few scarce inches of change made a huge difference on the dress that used to fit loosely but now hugged every part of me. It didn't look bad at all, but I stressed over what Jacob's people would think. As I stood looking at myself in the mirror, I heard Jacob's car pull up next to the cottage and a second later I heard his voice downstairs. There was no time to change outfits, so I just put on my sandals and found a jacket that matched the lavender of my dress and hurried downstairs, hoping the extra item of clothing would help cover up some more skin.

As soon as I reached the living room, I heard Jacob's heart stutter and start beating faster. His eyes were wide in wonder and he was looking up and down at me, being totally obvious. My mom was standing next to him and I saw her elbow him. His reaction made me blush and I remembered how I had stared at him the same way a few days ago after the fight with Aunt Rose. He didn't know this and I would die before telling him, but that day when he phased to go hunting, I sort of sneaked a peek at him behind the tree when he was stripping. It really hadn't been on purpose, Jacob just made the mistake of choosing a rather small tree, so from my angle I got a glimpse of his bare bottom as he pulled down his shorts. It was probably the nicest thing I'd seen in a long time, just thinking about it made me giddy.

My dad came into view and frowned at me, shaking his head disapprovingly. Oops, I totally forgot to block that thought. _"Sorry"_ I thought to him, but not even my apologetic and embarrassed smile could take the disapproval from his face.

"Just don't make a habit out of it."

Both momma and Jake looked at him with confusion. Dad ignored them and retreated to his bedroom, where mom was sure to follow. As she passed me she hugged me and kissed my cheek, whispering in my ear _"you look breathtaking… just go easy on Jake, ok? I'd like my best friend alive and I suspect he's about to have a heart attack."_ She winked at me and smiled, before going to find dad. That's what I love about my mom, she can be just as intense and overprotective as dad, but when it comes to Jake she keeps it light and cuts us some slack.

"Wow Ness… remind me to thank Pixie the next time I see her. You look amazing… I almost feel bad taking you to the bonfire."

"I love the bonfires!!! Besides, tonight is special."

"You bet, just when I thought I couldn't adore you any more, you go ahead and surprise me like that."

"No silly, I mean it's special because it's the first bonfire I go to as your girlfriend." - Jacob put on a huge smile when I said this.

"Your right, I hadn't thought of that… so is that little number for showing off and making everyone else jealous?" – He wiggled his eyebrows and like always I giggled.

"No… this one's for you." – It sounded much more innocent in my head than the way it came out when I said it out loud. Jacob's heart stuttered again and I knew that if _I_ had heard it, my dad must have too. "_Sorry dad_" I thought one more time.

Jacob was just standing there looking at me in a way that made me very nervous. After like two seconds however, he bit his lip and ran his hand through his disheveled hair, looking away.

"Come on, let's get going Ness… we don't want to be late." – He opened the door for me and we were off.

All throughout the car ride Jacob was uncharacteristically quiet, simply nodding or going _"mjm"_ in agreement to the things I was saying. He would barely look at me and I started to get worried. Was he mad at me? Was he nervous about introducing me as his girlfriend? This made no sense of course, all the wolves and their imprints and close family knew about us. Was it the elders he was worried about? Or everyone else?

A million thoughts entered my mind. Rosalie had been so quick to discriminate Jacob because according to her "he wasn't one of us"… could the same happen the other way around? Could people in La Push be upset because I'm not Quileute? Is that what Jacob is worried about?

I wanted to ask him but before I could we arrived at First Beach. Jacob got out as soon as the engine was off, opened my door and then started walking toward the gathering with his hands inside his jean pockets and looking at everything but me. Now I was really freaking out, because Jacob always holds my hand when we walk together; even before we became a couple, we always had the habit of holding hands. That was it; I couldn't hold my silence anymore.

"Jake… what's wrong?" – He stopped walking and turned to look at me.

"Nothing." – He said while shrugging his shoulders.

I was eying him suspiciously, but before I could retort, Quil appeared out of nowhere.

"Hey man, hey Ness!!! Wow Nessie… you sure you came to the right place?" – I suddenly regretted my outfit selection.

"What? Can't a girl look pretty?"

"That's not the word I was going for…" – Jacob punched him hard on the shoulder and I heard a crack.

"Hey man!!! What the hell!!! You dislocated my shoulder!!!" – Quil was already pulling his arm back in place with another horrible crack.

"That's not all I can do… say one more thing and it'll be your head that I'll dislocate… got it?" – Jacob's threat and menacing look weren't enough to scare Quil, who started laughing.

"Oh come on dude… it's not like I have eyes for anyone but my Clair Bear… it's those other dudes you gotta worry about. We've got a lot of native boys deprived of female interaction… if you know what I mean." – He winked at me, making me laugh. Quil is always making sexual innuendoes and it's kind of funny because to me he's this sort of goofy innocent guy who has a crush on a 6 year old, well not _actually_, but I like to tease him that he does.

Jacob seemed to calm down once he realized I wasn't offended by Quil's remark, but he still didn't laugh along. Quil took me by the arm and started leading me toward the crowd, before Jacob could hurt him anymore. Jacob just went along, walking behind us.

"Hey Jake!!! Come see who's back in town!!!" – There was a group of people gathered a few feet from the fire. Out of the group, I only recognized a couple of girls that graduated with Jacob. Quil had his arm around me and was telling me all about his new job, leading me absentmindedly to the opposite side of the fire. I saw Jacob look at me and hesitate for a moment.

"Jake!!!" – Alexandra, one of Jacob's friends, called out to him again. Jake finally turned around and headed toward the group. Quil was still rambling excitedly but all I could focus on was the conversation on the other side. Jake said hello to everyone but seemed really surprised when a girl came into view, a girl I'd never seen before.

"_Amber, hey!!! When did you get back?"_

"_Last night. You look so grown up Jake, I barely recognized you!!!"_

Quil paused for a moment, giving me a chance to speak.

"Hey Quil, who's that girl? Amber?"

"Oh, she used to go to school with us but her parent's send her to study in California when we were like 15."

"So why aren't you saying hi to her?"

"She wasn't really my friend."

"But she was Jacob's friend?"

"Um… why don't I keep telling you about my job? Yesterday my boss send me to do a checkup on all the computers in the school campus and… "

"Quil." – I interrupted, with a warning tone and giving him a serious look. "Your hiding something from me… don't change the subject."

"Oh come on Nessie!!! Why don't you ask Jake ok? I don't want to put my foot in my mouth or have _his_ up my ass."

"No Quil, I'm asking _you._"

"Ok, fine… it's really no big deal… it's just that… well… Amber was sort of Jacob's girlfriend… it wasn't serious or anything, I mean, we were kids, 15 years old."

I turned around and saw that they were still talking. Jacob's heart rate was normal so I didn't panic, but I couldn't help but feel jealous. She was really beautiful, with dark ashy skin, long straight black hair, big green eyes and a pretty somewhat shy smile. I strained my ears as to distinguish her heart beat from the others, until I finally narrowed it down, wishing I hadn't. Her heart was fluttering like a butterfly and I could tell her pupils were dilated. She wasn't flirting with him, which is why she was still alive, but I could tell she liked him. I started taking in deep breaths, trying to stay in control.

"Hey Ness… are you ok? Please don't freak out… you're his imprint, no girl will ever mean anything to him, ok?" – Quil looked anxious. I didn't want to cause him any trouble, so I faked composure.

"Sure, sure."

I realized Jacob was looking at me so I looked away. His behavior from before and now this was really taking its toll on me. I saw the two of them together and realized she would be the kind of girl that Jacob's people would approve off, full human and Quileute. I felt stupid, here I was sitting on a log wearing a dress that didn't belong in a bonfire, watching my boyfriend reconnect with his ex and not even bothering to introduce me or show me off like I'd thought. I felt tears stinging my eyes, so I got up and started walking away; maybe a little stroll through the woods would help calm me down.

The voices started fading away and I immediately felt better. I could feel the salty sea breeze blowing on my skin and I welcomed it, like nature's way of comforting me by kissing my face. I was starting to make my way into the trees when I heard footsteps behind me.

"Ness… wait up… what's wrong?"

"Nothing." – I said, imitating him from before. I kept walking until he caught up with me and spun me around by my shoulders.

"Come on… I know that face Ness. Talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about Jacob. I just felt like taking a walk." – Before I could stop him, he took my hand and placed it to his cheek, securing my body with his other arm wrapped around my waist, so I couldn't move away.

"Hey!!!" – It was too late, all my feelings washed through my hand; the way he wouldn't talk to me in the car, the way he didn't hold my hand on our way in or even look at me, his ex girlfriend, my jealousy and all my terrible suspicions about him being afraid that I didn't belong.

Once there was nothing more to see, he let go of my hand but didn't release my body. He looked furious and I thought maybe he hadn't gotten the point; he should be apologizing _not_ getting angry. When he finally spoke, it was through clenched teeth.

"Ness… do you have any idea of the effect you have on me? Do you? It's hard enough that these… these needs keep growing, without you having to go and put on that god damn sexy dress!!! And then you expect me to be fine with it!!! To restrain myself as if it's nothing?"

"What… what do you mean? You were avoiding me… and then you talked to that Amber girl and…" – Before I could finish my rant, he growled and pushed his mouth towards mine. In all our time together he had never kissed me like this. It was rough and aggressive, like a flood gate had been opened. In between kissing me he would say things, the fierceness still in his tone.

"Damn it Ness… can't you see how much I want you?... Your killing me… I love you Ness… I can't believe you were jealous… I promise to never do that to you again… you're the only one I want"

He was rambling and I really wasn't paying much attention, all I wanted was for him to shut up and kiss me the entire time. He had me up against a tree, the hard bark pressing against my back. If I were entirely human I'm sure I'd be bruised by now.

"Jake… I… I don't want you to restrain yourself… I want you too."

He stopped kissing me and even though I kept trying to pull him back, he was stronger and resisted me.

"Ness… I can't."

"Can't what?"

"I can't do this… think of you this way… want you this way… it's not what you deserve."

"Oh, so I deserve a boyfriend who doesn't like me? Maybe you'd feel more comfortable making out with that Amber chick… should I go get her?" – He was really starting to irritate me. He smiled at my comment however, and some of my irritation went away. Stupid irresistible dog.

"You know… I've never made anyone jealous before… I kinda like it."

I pushed him from his chest but he just slightly leaned back and took hold of both my hands, intertwining our fingers.

"I really hate you sometimes you know."

"No you don't." – He bent down to try and kiss me but I moved my head back, not allowing him.

"Don't do that." – He said, his voice husky and low, as he tried to kiss me again. But again, I didn't allow him.

"Ness…"

"Oh I'm sorry Jacob… but I just decided that _you_ don't deserve a girlfriend that wants you that way either… so there."

"It's not the same."

"It's exactly the same… I just don't feel comfortable degrading you to a piece of yummy meat Jake… so in order for our love to stay pure, let's just restrain from any sort of physical contact, ok?"

Before he could say anything, I let go of his hands and started making my way back to the bonfire. This seemed like the perfect plan, a few days of this and I was sure Jake would realize the absurdity of his reservations. I was really getting tired of him wanting me one minute and then feeling guilty and pushing me away the next, so he was now getting a taste of his own medicine. The only slight problem in my plan: I would have to be extremely strong to not give in.

As I reached the gathering he caught up with me and took my hand, looking at me with a shy expression, one I could never get used to coming from a strong guy like him.

"Is this allowed?" – How could I say no to that face? I merely smiled at him and nodded. He seemed to relax.

The group of girls were looking at us when we returned, holding hands. Jake smiled and started pulling me toward them.

"Hey guys, so this is Nessie, my girlfriend… Ness, these are some girls I went to school with: you know Alex and Karla, then there's Silvia, Megan and Amber." – I smiled at them and they did too, only Amber seemed a little disappointed. I saw the other ones eying me and for the first time in all the bonfires I'd attended, I felt out of place. I usually only hang out with the wolves, who are so loud and big that nobody else notices me, which is a good thing because sooner or later they would have realized my unusual growth speed. I only met Alexandra and Karla a year ago and since then I haven't changed that much, which makes my relationship with them much easier. It's not like they don't know that there are some weird things going on with the guys in the tribe, but since its tribe business, nobody really questions it. I however am an outsider and could really stir up people's curiosity.

"Really? Girlfriend? Since when?" – Megan was looking at Jake and me in disbelief; I wanted to eat her alive.

"Well, the truth is I've been in love with her since forever… but it's until now that the girl game me a chance." – Jacob turned to look at me and winked at me. I could see the jealousy in all the girls' eyes.

"Ok, well we'll see you around… come on baby, let's go say hi to the guys." – And with that we turned around and left.

"So is that the kind of "showing off" that you had in mind? Or should I do better?"

"No, that was about right." – I smiled at him and felt like kissing him, but I needed to stick to the plan so I just kept walking. Thankfully Seth came up to us, creating a distraction. He gave me a big hug.

"Wow Nessie, you look so beautiful!!! I hope I get an imprint as pretty as you." - Seth was smiling his most wide eyed innocent smile. If I could pick a kid brother, Seth would defenetly be it.

"Thanx kiddo."

"Hey guys!!! Hey Jake, did you see Amber? She's looking hot! I should go over, see if I can imprint on any of them." – Embry was looking past us over to the group of girls. Jacob laughed at his joke and simply said _"be my guest."_ Embry laughed too and started walking towards them, pumping his chest up. We said hi to the entire group, which consisted mainly of Jacob and Sam's respective packs, everyone's imprints, Billy and a few elders. I sat next to Jacob's sister Rachel as they started retelling one of their ancient legends. Quil had Clair on his lap and was playing with her hair, little Clair waving at me very enthusiastically. Next to me, Paul was whispering very naughty things into Rachel's ear; I turned and saw Jacob giving him a warning look, but Paul ignored him. I wondered what it would be like if Jacob ever gave in to being physically attracted to me. I wondered what he might say or even do if he allowed himself to think it's not wrong. Just the thought gave me butterflies in my stomach.

The rest of the evening carried on uneventfully. After a while people started leaving and we decided it was time to go as well. When we arrived at the cottage I noticed my parents were not home. Jake got out of the car and walked me to the door, a mere formality considering he would probably spend the night.

"So, did you have a good time?"

"Yes, I especially enjoyed watching Embry trying to seduce Amber." – Jacob laughed.

"I know!!! She looked scared. My boy needs to learn some skills."

"So… how long did you two go out?" – I tried to sound casual but it came out wrong. I could tell my question made Jacob anxious, but I needed to know.

"Um… I don't know… like 5 months… "

"So was she your first girlfriend?" – Suddenly a huge grin spread across Jacob's face.

"You know… you look really cute when you're jealous." – Jacob took me by the waist and started leaning in. I could feel his sweet scent encircling me, but I was determined not to give in; so I pulled back, his lips just millimeters from mine. He opened his eyes and gave me a sexy half smile.

"Really… truly… irresistible… when you're jealous." – He was trying to get his lips closer to mine, but I kept moving back. I pressed my forehead to his as to stay close to him but keeping a safe distance between our lips. He still had his eyes closed, looking so vulnerable and sensual that I hated myself for coming up with this insane plan.

"Please Ness… kiss me."

"I… I can't… I won't degrade you to a piece of meat." – I said it in a mock tone but Jacob didn't laugh.

"Are you seriously going to torture me this way?"

"Just until you stop being a jerk." – Jacob pulled back and folded his arms across his chest.

"Ok, two can play that game."

"Oh really?"

"Yep… I'm not staying over tonight." – His words shocked me, was he serious?

"Fine… if that's what it takes." – I turned around and went in the house, not even saying goodnight to him. I felt like I was about to cry, this whole thing had gone terribly wrong. This was supposed to drive _him_ crazy, knock some sense into him, and now it was backfiring. I went upstairs straight to bed, tonight was going to be hard so I wanted to get it over with.

I was lying in bed curled up in a ball, trying to fall asleep. After an hour I considered running to the big house and asking Uncle Jazz to put me out. Another hour passed and I was already getting somewhat drowsy, I felt Jacob's scent and knew I had begun to dream. Good, if I couldn't have him with me at least I could dream about him.

"Ness… "– The sound startled me because I didn't recognize the voice, it sounded hoarse, like a chain smokers voice. I sat up in my bed and saw a silhouette in the dark. He took a step closer into the moonlight and relief soon washed over me.

Jacob was standing there, tears in his eyes. I got up from the bed, ran toward him and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around me so tightly that it became hard to breath. He buried his face in my chest and I caressed his ruffled hair, feeling his tears dampen my t-shirt.

"I'm sorry Ness… I'm such an idiot." –I put my hand over his mouth, not letting him continue. I took him by the hand and led him toward my bed, where we both laid down facing each other. He wrapped his arms around me again and I did the same, interlacing my legs with his, as if there was a chance he could get away. We soon dosed off, his familiar heartbeat serenading me like a beautiful lullaby, more beautiful than anything dad could ever write.

**So I know this one's pretty small but I just really wanted to post it soon. Next up we'll have some more sexual tension and Nessie giving Jake some of his own medicine jajajaja**

**Please let me know how I'm doing... I haven't gotten as many reviews as I'd like so please, let me know you're still out there reading my stuff and if I'm going on the right direction. I'd love to get some feedback, would really motivate me. Thanx for reading!!!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 11**

**Jacob's POV**

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Nessie, _my_ Nessie. She was sound asleep, her curls falling on her face messily, her deep rhythmic breathing making her entire body move up and down. I could look at her for hours and not get bored. By now I knew every inch of her perfect face, the iridescent color of her white skin, the few freckles that adorned her nose, the almond color of her long eyelashes and the sweet pink of her lips. Just a few hours had passed since she last kissed me and yet I already missed her taste. I truly hated this little game she had started; because I knew she would never give in, too much of Bella's stubbornness in her. Maybe I really did need to learn my lesson; maybe I really was acting like a jerk. Either way, I couldn't shake of the feeling that wanting her the way I did was inappropriate.

She stirred a little and I knew she was close to waking up. It was now or never, so I took advantage of the fact that she was unconscious, leaned in and softly kissed her lips, feeling mine burn with the touch of hers, taking in the taste I'd missed so much. It wasn't half as amazing as when she kisses me back, but for now it would have to do. She stirred again and whispered _"Jake."_ I smiled almost to myself; how did I get to be so lucky? Years ago I would have killed a man just to be able to hear Bells calling to me in her sleep, a privilege only the bloodsucker had; but now, I had to do absolutely nothing to hear my soul mate do it. Just hearing her say my name was enough to put me in a good mood, no matter what kind of torture she had in store for me.

I heard noise downstairs and then the smell of bacon and eggs. I got up and decided it would be idiotic to pretend I hadn't spent the night and walk in through the front door, so I just opened Ness' door and headed for the kitchen. It was the first time Bella ever acknowledged my presence in the morning (she wouldn't cook for anyone else), so I knew something was up.

When I came in she was standing next to the stove, holding a saucepan wearing gloves, so her smell wouldn't rub off, and flipping an omelet through the air. I sat down on the kitchen counter as she continued to cook.

"Hope you're hungry."

"You know me Bells… I'm always hungry. So… what's the occasion, are we done pretending I'm not here every morning?"

"Until Edward gets back… yes."

"What do you mean… where did he go?" – Bella was already serving the two omelets she made next to a cluster of bacon, a huge loaf of bread and some wild berries I'm sure she picked up in the woods.

"Well… remember the werewolf news that had Renesme all stirred up?"

I nodded as she passed me the plate.

"Turns out a few of them appeared in Alaska, were Tanya and her family are living… they sort of tried to attack them."

"What?!!! Are they alright?" – Bella wickedly smiled at my concern for the wellbeing of a bunch of leeches, to which I tickled her by poking her ribs. When she was done laughing she continued.

"Yes Jacob… your precious vampire friends are alright."

"I'm just concerned cuz they're Ness' family… that's all. You're the only bloodsucker I actually like."

"Oh… I'm honored."

"So what happened? And why is Edward gone?"

"Tanya said they fought but when they realized they were outnumbered, they retreated, something rather strange for werewolves, according to Carlisle. He and Edward flew up there to assess the situation and make sure they don't come back. Plus, during the fight they took one of the creature's arms off, so Carlisle wants to collect it and run some tests, just to see what we're dealing with. It's been a long time since werewolves have made any appearances, some even thought they were extinct; Carlisle wants to check if that's what they really are."

"Is this something we should worry about?" – Nessie's face was all over my brain, her safety concerning me. Bella understood my apprehension and smiled reassuringly.

"Not yet Jake… we've dealt with bigger things than this… don't worry."

"So, how're holding up without your sugar daddy? I'm surprised you didn't beg him not to go or go along with him."

"I didn't want to leave Renesme alone… and I don't _beg_." – I rolled my eyes at her.

"Yeah… sure." – She punched me in the arm, lightly for her but it still hurt like hell. She smiled when I winced with pain.

"Damn Bells… I miss the days when punching me meant breaking your hand." – I said this while rubbing the sore spot where I'd taken the blow.

"Oh… you mean when you had to force girls to kiss you?" – Both Bella and I started laughing at this; ironical enough, those memories were now happy ones.

"But seriously… are you ok?" – Although my initial question had been phrased as a joke, I really did want to know if she was alright, because I know firsthand how she gets without her leech. She gave me the kind of Bella smile that always makes me forget she's a vamp.

"Why do you think I cooked you breakfast… having you around calms me down, it always did."

"Glad to be of service." – I began to chug down the delicious breakfast while she cleaned the kitchen. I was already finishing my orange juice when Nessie came in, appraising the picture.

"This is new… where's dad?" – Bella glanced at me before answering.

"Oh… he just went up to Alaska to see your Aunt Tanya; they seem to have some information on that whole werewolf business."

"Information? What kind of information? Why would dad have to go get it?"

"They found some of them there; your father and grandpa thought it was best to do a thorough investigation… that's all. Now, I really don't want to discuss the matter any further, we'll have all the information once they get back, ok?"

"Ok, fine." – Nessie looked irritated with Bella's short and cutting answer, but seemed to let it go.

"So, are we done pretending?"

"Just until your dad gets back… you know how he is." – Nessie nodded and started walking back up to her room, probably to get ready for school. She didn't even kiss me hello; I watched her leave and just when I thought my day would be horrible, she turned around to look at me.

"Jake, would you drive me to school?"

"Sure. But I should probably run home and change first."

"Ok, I'll wait for you."

Once I was back, my Nessie came out through the front door and hopped in my car. She smelled so good that I had trouble concentrating. She was sitting crossed legged in the passenger seat, the skirt she was wearing rising up enough for me to see a little bit of skin above her knee. She was twirling a loose curl with her fingers while she talked to me about her Physics teacher getting in a fight with the principal in front of everyone. The story was pretty funny, especially the way Ness told it, but I just couldn't stop pining over that soft area of skin just above her knee.

"Professor Wilson's expression was hilarious; his face was all red from the yelling… "

"So is he fired now?"

"I hope not, he's a really good teacher and our principle is kind of a douche bag."

We arrived at the school parking lot and I got out and opened her door. As soon as she was out of the car, two girls came walking over.

"Hey Nessie!!!"

"Hey guys…" - The two girls stopped walking once they saw me, both of them blushed and looked at Nessie with an excited and inquiring stare. Nessie looked embarrassed by her friends' reaction to me.

"Um… so this is Jacob… Jake, this is Amanda and Laura."

"_This_ is Jacob? Wow Nessie, you've been holding out on us." – I knew that one was probably Amanda, Nessie's best friend. The other one looked too quiet for Ness.

"It's _really_ good to meet you Jacob… Nessie can't seem to shut up about you, now I can see why." – She winked at Nessie who was now beat red in the face. I was beginning to like this girl.

"Ok, don't you have to get to class Mandy?"

"So do you, now say goodbye and let's go." – The other girl Laura turned around and started walking away, but Amanda stood there with her arms folded over her chest, determined to watch us say goodbye. Leave it to Ness to be friends with such a freak. She was smiling at Nessie with a teasing half smirk, as if daring her to kiss me in front of her.

"Mandy…" – Nessie gave her a warning look, enough for Amanda to give up and turn around, but not before saying goodbye to me.

Nessie turned to look at me and I could still see she was embarrassed.

"Sorry about that."

"Why? Now it was _your_ turn to show me off."

"Oh right… I guess I didn't do it properly."

"Your friends are still looking." - I bent down so that we were at eye level. – "You can still redeem yourself." – I tried to sound as seductive as possible, and it worked because Ness' heart rate increased exponentially. If she wanted to play this game, I would definitely not make it easy on her. My lips started searching hers but like the night before, she tilted her head down so that our foreheads were touching and I couldn't reach them.

"Kissing will only degrade our relationship." – She whispered, her voice so low it sent chills down my spine. I opened my eyes and found her looking at me with as much desire as the one I was feeling. Any second now she would give in; she had to, because I couldn't go to work like this.

"I never said kissing was wrong… thinking of other things is what's wrong." – I tried explaining myself one more time; surely she would see the logic in my feelings.

"Well I can't kiss you and not think those things… and thinking of you that way is wrong Jacob Black, you deserve more." – She was completely mocking me and actually enjoying this. I decided on a different approach, so I started tracing kisses from her neck to her jaw line, not even caring that everyone was watching. I felt her shiver under my touch.

"Ness… would you just let this go and kiss me." – I whispered, as my lips continued to make their way up.

"Not if you still feel the same… do you?"

I didn't answer her, I couldn't, because to say "no" would be to lie to her, something I couldn't do… but to say "yes" was to have her push me away again.

"That's what I thought." – She said, as she moved her face away from me once more. I finally gave up and stood up straight.

"I just hope you know how much you're making me suffer."

"Good, I'm counting on it…" – She turned around and without another word went inside the school building. I felt like a junkie without his dose of drugs. How I'd been able to survive the time when our relationship was still platonic was beyond me. I needed to touch her, feel her, kiss her. Maybe she was right, maybe there's nothing wrong with my feelings. Part of having an imprint is always wanting what's best for her, so how could I actually be feeling something that would hurt her, corrupt her? I felt confused and needed to get an outside opinion, but whose? This isn't the sort of thing I talk to Billy about, my best friend is in love with a 6 year old and has no clue what this feels like, and my other best friend can't actually be objective considering it's her daughter the one I want to ravage.

All throughout work I kept thinking of people I could ask for advice. I was getting desperate to the point where I even considered talking to Emmet, but God knows what kind of sick twisted things he'd say to me if I opened up to him. And then it finally hit me, feeling stupid for not having thought of him before: Sam. Apart from Billy and Carlisle, he was the closest thing I had to a father figure, and even though I run my own pack now, I still think of him with tremendous respect. If anyone could help me it would be him. So when my lunch break came up, I hurried out of the workshop and raced my car to La Push. As I approached Sam and Emily's little cabin I started to feel knots in my stomach; I'm definitely not good with revealing my feelings to strangers, I have it hard enough with the whole "pack mind" without having to go around and actually doing it on purpose. I got out of the car and hesitated for a moment, because I had no idea what I would say to him. I could smell cinnamon and flour, so I knew at least Emily was home, cooking. _"Be a man"_ I encouraged myself. I finally made it to the front door and knocked, I knew if Sam was home he probably knew it was me since before I got out of the car, but I still needed to be polite.

"Come in." – Emily's soft voice answered. When I went inside I found her in the kitchen, wearing a flour covered apron over a long native dress, with her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail and slippers. If I hadn't spent so much time in this house and seen her in her nightgown several times, I would have felt like I was invading her privacy. As soon as she saw me a brilliant smile spread across her beautiful scarred face.

"Jacob!!! It's been a while since you've come to visit!!! I'm making cookies for Sam's pack, tell me what you think." – There was already a huge basket full of homemade cinnamon cookies sitting on the counter, so I took one and started eating. Emily's cooking is by far the best I've ever tasted.

"So?"

"Really good, you think Sam would take me back in his pack?" – Emily laughed at my joke and started filling a smaller basket with the cookies that had just come out of the oven. When she was finished she handed it to me.

"Here… we all belong to the same pack."

"Thanks Emily. So where's Sam?" – I knew he was in the bedroom, because I could smell him, but again, it seemed polite to ask.

"Hello Jacob." – Sam came in looking like he had been taking a nap. He went over to Emily and sweetly kissed her scar and then her forehead, before turning his attention to me.

"Hey Sam… I kind of feel awkward coming here, but I need some advice." – I thought I'd go straight to the point, considering I was expected back at work. Sam nodded, kissed Emily once more, this time on the lips, and started heading for the door, signaling me to follow.

We walked for a bit until we reached a woodsy part of their property where Sam had arranged some sitting logs in a circle, so we sat down. I was nervous and I knew Sam could tell.

"It's alright Jacob… I know we're not in the same pack anymore, but I still consider you a brother… you can trust me… so tell me, what's wrong?" – His words gave me all the assurance I needed to go on.

"Ok, here's the thing Sam… you know how much I love Nessie, since she was a baby, and up until now my feelings for her have been nothing but pure." – I took in a deep breath to continue. – "But since our relationship turned romantic… I've been… well… I've been looking at her differently…" – I didn't want to spell it out but was afraid Sam would make me.

"So what you're saying is that you feel sexually attracted to her, yes?"

I nodded, far too ashamed and embarrassed to speak.

"And _that_ is a problem because?"

"Because it's wrong… I shouldn't be having these thoughts, I don't want to turn her into some object; I don't want to treat her like any other horny boyfriend would… our love should go beyond that… I'm cheapening our relationship." – My words sounded immature, like some punk kid complaining, and I thought maybe Sam would just dismiss my worries as trivial and insignificant. He took in a deep breath and smiled at me, sympathetically.

"From the beginning I knew this would be difficult for you… just as I know it will be difficult for Quil. It's not natural to watch the person you'll mate with grow up, just as it is not natural to transition from older brother to boyfriend. I am assuming you feel like it's your job to protect her from men with bad intentions and now you think you've become one of them, like you've seen her almost all her life as your little innocent girl and that now by thinking of her that way you are somehow ending that innocence."

Sam was right on the money. I instantly felt understood, as though my worries were not ridiculous, because someone else could comprehend them. Sam fell silent after his spot on summary and I desperately waited for him to speak out the solution. A minute passed, enough to drive me crazy, and I realized I was going to have to drag it out of him.

"Ok… so what do I do? Am I right to feel this way?"

"Jacob… all I can tell you is that imprinting is a sacred and magical occurrence, you are connected to her as she is connected to you. Have you ever been far away from her and sensed or even known that she was in some sort of distress?"

"Yes, of course… but what does that have to do with this?" – I was getting angry; couldn't the damn dog just spit it out?

"Jacob, we are programmed to give our imprints what they need, programmed to make them happy, programmed to always protect them."

"Again, I know all this."

"If you do, then why would you believe your feelings are wrong, when you could never feel something incorrect towards her?"

"So are you saying I should give in to this?" – It seemed scandalous what he was proposing.

"No Jacob, I am certainly not saying you should give in to your desires, at least not all of them… but you need to accept them and understand that if you are feeling this, it is only because your relationship has evolved. We all need physical contact to show our love in some way, it is only natural."

"So thinking of her that way is ok?"

"Do you love her?"

"More than my own life." – I'd heard that line many times in cheesy movies, but I said it anyway. It's not cheesy when it's the truth.

"Well then, you just answered your own question… you're just appreciating her, loving her in a whole new way."

I needed to ask him something, but was afraid I'd be crossing the line. I stayed quiet for a minute or two, debating on whether to ask. I needed to know of his own personal experience; it would be the only way I'd be able to accept my feelings, to know that it's normal, that I'm not some pervert. Finally I decided to give it a shot.

"Sam… what was it like with Emily?"

"Listen Jake… when I imprinted, I went crazy over Emily, in every way; still am. That's all I can tell you." – It wasn't nearly as detailed as I would have wanted his answer to be, but it was enough; enough to understand that loving her meant also wanting her physically, my Nessie had gotten it right all along _"it just comes with the territory." _We stayed silent for a couple more minutes until I knew there was nothing else I could ask him, that wasn't embarrassing of course.

"Ok… well… I have to get back to work… thanks Sam; I really needed to talk to someone." – He got up and I followed. He shook my hand and patted me on the shoulder.

"Thank you for choosing me, Jacob."

**Nessie's POV**

I felt horrible, like a lousy girlfriend. His face when I wouldn't kiss him today was devastating to me. I wasn't sure how long I could keep this up or if it was even remotely working. Maybe I was pressuring him; maybe he would work things out on his own time. I was too busy thinking about my predicament that I didn't even notice when the bell rang for lunch.

"Over here Ness!!!" – Amanda called to me, already seating at a table with her plate full of spaghetti and meat balls. Just the sight of her food made me nauseous. I never eat at school, saying that I'm on a special diet and only eat at home. Once in a while I'll have just some plain bread so people don't think I'm anorexic or something; bread being one of the few human foods I can stomach easily. As soon as I sat down, Amanda pushed her plate away and leaned towards me.

"So… Jacob." - She said, in a very seductive voice, while tilting up one of her eyebrows.

"What about him?" - I really wasn't in the mood for Amanda's teasing, but really couldn't push her away.

"What do you mean _"what about him"_? He's gorgeous!!! I mean, his bicep is the size of my head!!!"

"Yeah, he works out." – Not to mention he turns into a wolf every night making him super strong and ageless.

"My God Nessie… how come you kept him hidden all this time, afraid someone would snatch him away? And how come you never told me how good looking he is?"

"Well, that's not _really _what's important… but anyway, I've told you everything else."

"Yeah, I know… he's funny, charming, good with cars, brave, spontaneous…" – She was clasping both hands to her chest, looking up at the sky dreamily as if imitating me when I speak of him. – "Blah, blah, blah… you forgot to add, super hot!!!"

I had to laugh. Amanda is probably the only woman on Earth who could refer to Jacob in that way and not have me want to kill her. Maybe because I trust her enough to know that she would never really be interested in someone that was with me.

"So, now that I've seen him… I can't help but wonder… how far have you two gone? I mean, he looks a lot older Ness." – This time she wasn't joking, she seemed sincerely concerned.

"Well, he is… but we haven't done anything." – I really didn't want to get into this; it seemed way too personal to be discussing with her, even if she _is_ my best friend.

"Wow."

"Wow, what?"

"Wow that a guy _that _good looking and older wouldn't pressure you into sleeping with him. He must really love you. Not that any guy in his right mind wouldn't."

I smiled at Amanda for her compliment and realized just what a fool I've been. I should feel happy that Jake is so worried about keeping our relationship pure; if he's having a difficult time with his feelings it's because he loves me, nothing more. And although I know his concerns are unreasonable, I shouldn't make it harder on him. I needed to see him, tell him I'm sorry and promise him I'd be patient, no matter how silly his concerns could be. I could deal with his mood swings and deal with him feeling guilty, if that meant supporting him. We have an entire lifetime to work things out, eternity to find the right balance; I could wait for him to make up his mind, to figure things out.

The bell rang again and I suddenly had the uncontrollable desire to skip school and go find him. Amanda had already gotten up and started walking to class. Halfway through the cafeteria she turned to look at me, because I hadn't moved an inch.

"Hey, come on, we'll be late for English."

"I… I have to go."

"What? Go where? Are you ok?"

"I'm sorry Mandy, can you say I got sick and went home or something? Please, there's something I need to do!!!"

"Ness, can't you do it later? You can't just leave, you'll get in trouble."

"Please Mandy, just say I got sick and went home… I'll deal with detention, ok?"

"Ok… but… is everything all right?" – Amanda was looking at me worried, a huge crease forming in between her eyebrows. I could tell my sudden outburst had her confused.

"Yeah, everything is great!!! I just really have to go; I'll call you later, bye!!" – I was already running out, unfortunately having to use human speed. However, once I reached the parking lot and realized there was no one outside, I blasted off using my full potential. I decided to go through the woods so nobody would notice me. When I was close enough, I went out into the street and walked the rest of the way. My heart started pumping louder once I saw in the distance the neon sign that read _"Classic Motors"._

"Hello, can I help you?" - A large man with a trucker hat and a greased up white t-shirt was sitting in the entrance to the workshop, smoking a cigarette. – "I'm sure you're looking for the office… it's though there, big glass door … Tiffany will take care of you."

"Um… I'm actually looking for someone here in the garage, Jacob Black?"

"Oh… yeah, I think he's inside, under the black Camaro."

I hurried inside. This was actually the first time I'd ever seen Jacob's workplace. The workshop was huge, with lifts and machinery everywhere. In the front was a garage where all the restored cars were parked, awaiting client pick-up. There was a guy not much older than Jake giving the cars one last polish; he almost dropped the cloth he had in his hand when he saw me. The way he was staring at me was making me rather uncomfortable, so I just kept on walking as if I actually knew where I was going. I was so nervous I couldn't really find Jacob's scent, especially through all the combined harsh smells of the space: motor oil, gasoline, thinner and worst of all, male body odor. I heard banging and twirling noises and figured that was the right way to go, so I headed in the direction of the noise, reaching a space with several cars in diverse stages of progress.

A group of older men were dismantling a vehicle and stopped once I came into view. One of them headed towards me, wiping his forehead with a dirty washcloth.

"Hello pretty lady… I think you might be in the wrong place." – The man was looking at me up and down and I suddenly became very aware that I was standing in a room full of men and wearing a somewhat short skirt. It wasn't that I felt scared, I could take on the lot of them without breaking a sweat, but their suggestive glances made me very uneasy. _"You can take down a mountain lion"_ I told myself, giving myself the confidence I needed.

"I'm looking for Jacob Black."

"You his girlfriend?"

"Yes." – The man turned to look at the others and they all chuckled.

"Now, how does a Tee-Pee Creeper, Wahoo Indian Nit like him end up with a pretty girl like you?" – His words were completely offensive, I knew that some people were prejudice against Native Americans, but I'd never heard anyone refer to Jake in such a derogatory way.

"I don't know… how does a middle aged man end up with a receding hair line, bad body odor and a belly full of fat?" – In all my life, I had never been as disrespectful to anyone as I'd just been with this man. I could see my dad, the master of etiquette, growling at me with shame. This was beyond me, completely unlike my usual character. But in that moment, I would have gladly killed the jerk, would have enjoyed ripping each one of his limbs apart and drinking him dry. He was now looking at me with a mixture of embarrassment as well as fear, the first because I had humiliated him in front of his pals and the second because I could feel a vibration in my chest that could only have been a growl. I couldn't hear anything or see anything besides the chubby balding racist. How dare he disrespect _my_ Jacob!!! This man had no clue of whom he was referring to, Jacob Ephraim Black, chief of his tribe, alpha of his pack, a brave and fearless warrior and a direct descendant of Native royalty. This man would piss his pants and keel over and die of fear if he was faced with only half of the things Jake has taken on.

I could feel the burning thirst in my throat and knew I was in trouble… correction, knew _he_ was in trouble. He started backing away, like he could sense something was very off about me.

"Get back to work Jones… are you alright miss, was he bothering you?" – The voice brought me somewhat back to reality, although the thirst was still very much there. I started breathing through my mouth; maybe if I didn't sense any blood the craving would go away. I turned to look at the man who had spoken. He was somewhat tall, built, with a shaven head, his face features hard but likable and he looked and smelled cleaner than the others. He walked toward me and put his hands to his waist, waiting for my answer.

"Um… I'm looking for Jacob Black". – It was the only thing I could say at this point that wouldn't bring back the rage I had felt a second ago. My voice came out constricted, the burning still very much present in my throat. The man seemed to relax a bit once he saw I was fine and didn't accuse his employee of anything.

"Oh… are you Nancy?"

"Nessie."

"Oh yes, sorry… Nessie. Well hello, I'm Jacob's boss… and I suspect you're the reason he's been skipping afternoons, am I right?" – The man didn't seem angry, just amused, so I answered _"yes"_ hoping my confession wouldn't get Jake in trouble.

"I thought so, he's always talking about you and to tell you the truth, his excuses have been sort of lame. I really don't care though; he's my best mechanic, golden hands on that boy!!!" – I heard the jerk and his pals scoff at what he said. They probably hated the fact that someone they considered inferior and also younger was actually doing a better job than them and getting far more praise. The idea gave me great pleasure, so much that I was able to shake of the anger and smile. I turned to smile at the jerk who just looked away, sulking.

"It's very nice to meet you." – I said while extending my hand toward him, my manners miraculously returning to me.

"Likewise young lady… so, Jacob is through there, he's working on a black Camaro, be sure to tap him on the leg because he's always listening to music; doubt he'll hear you."

Jake's boss shook my hand again and headed for the entrance, while I made my way to the far end of the garage. As I walked it occurred to me that this time maybe I could really sneak up on him, maybe this time I could really beat him at the game we've played since forever. I had the best chances I could ever have, because with headphones on and the harsh smells of the garage, it would be difficult to sense me coming. Once I reached the last room, I started searching for the Camaro. I found it quickly and sure enough, there was Jake lying on the ground underneath the car with just his legs sticking out. I stood there for a moment, contemplating my Jake doing what he does best… well, _one_ of the things he does best. I debated on how to sneak up on him, the position he was in not allowing me to be very creative. So I went for something simple and just took him by his ankles and pulled him with great force out of the car, landing on top of him once his entire body was out. The face he had on was priceless, pure and utter surprise unlike anything he could ever fake.

"What the f… Ness?" – I started giggling uncontrollably; finally after 6 years of trying, I had won.

Jacob took off his headphones, still looking at me stunned; I smile subtly curving his lips.

"I won." – I said, smiling down at him. His subtle smile turned into a huge grin and he started laughing.

"You sure did!!! You scared the crap out of me!!! What are you doing here?!!!"

"I wanted to surprise you."

"Well mission accomplished Ness… I did not see that one coming!!!" – I continued to giggle in satisfaction.

"So, am I the best?"

"No, _I'm _the best… but today was good." – I smacked him on the head and he started laughing. -"Ok, ok, _you're_ the best."

"Thanks."

"So you came all this way and ditched school by the way, just to sneak up on me?" – Up until that moment I had forgotten the reason why I was here, what with almost having killed one of his coworkers and then the excitement of surprising him.

"I had to tell you something… and it couldn't wait till later."

"I have to tell you something too." – Before I could speak, Jacob pulled me toward him, so that I was no longer just sitting on top of him but lying on him, and wheeled the surface he was on back under the car, so we were hidden from sight.

Once we were both under the Camaro, he started kissing me. Even if my plan would have still been in place, there was no way I could have dodged his kiss, because the space was so cramped it was hard to move. His kiss was amazing, like he was making up for all the kisses I had deprived him of. I felt the sweet taste of his tongue and knew I was an idiot for voluntarily having avoided its touch… never again. I kissed him back with the same enthusiasm, not really caring if we'd get caught. Jacob was breathing hard and kissing me harder, his hands caressing my back, my neck, my legs. I was shivering with pleasure now, completely afraid of the moment when he would pull back, the moment that was sure to come. So I was surprised when he didn't stop and continued to kiss me. By this time in a kiss, he would have already stopped and put on a guilty face. We'd never kissed for this long without him ending it saying it was "wrong" or "inappropriate." What had happened? He seemed completely at ease and not at all conflicted with this. Had my plan worked?

After several more minutes it was obvious we both needed to breathe so we pulled back, our faces just an inch from each other. Jacob was smiling brilliantly, not a trace of remorse or shame, just happiness, like when we kissed for the first time.

"What's gotten into you mister?"

"I realized my girlfriend was right… that I was acting like a jerk."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"So no more feeling guilty or pushing me away or your horrible mood swings?" – I was skeptical.

"Nope."

"Are you sure?"

"Ness… what would it take for you to believe me?"

"I can think of a few things." – I said this while leaning in closer, searching for his lips, missing them already. Jake kissed me one more time; I could feel his lips smiling against mine.

"Ness… just one thing… maybe we should continue this later… I don't want to get fired."

"You won't, your boss likes me… and he says you have "golden hands", says you're his best mechanic."

"What? Who told you this?"

"He did, I met him a minute ago. Since I'm pretty you've been forgiven for skipping to be with me." – Jacob laughed at this and started wheeling us out from under the car. Thankfully no one saw us and Jake started leading me toward the exit.

We were walking hand in hand when I saw the jerk again, still dismantling a car. Once we were already out of the workshop I thought about the jerk again and I couldn't help myself, so I let go of Jake's hand.

"Wait here… I forgot something back there." - Jacob looked puzzled but didn't follow.

When I returned and started walking straight towards him, the man stopped what he was doing and looked at me with confusion, more so when I placed my hand on his cheek. I projected the vision of something attaching him, ripping his limbs of and drinking his blood, I purposely made the vision somewhat blurry so he couldn't really tell what or who it was, but clear enough that his eyes filled with horror.

"_Next time you insult Jacob, think about this."_ - I projected. When I was sure he got the message, I took my hand of his sweaty cheek and turned back toward the exit and Jake. The man just stood there paralyzed by the terror the vision had caused him.

"What did you forget?"

"Oh, I just forgot to thank someone who helped me find you." – I hate lying to Jake, but I knew that the truth would worry him too much, because part of keeping ourselves safe is keeping our secret intact, not revealing our true identities to anyone. I however wasn't worried; because I scared the man so much I was sure he wouldn't be telling anyone about what he'd seen or about me.

Jacob smiled at me and leaned in to kiss me again.

"Baby, I still have two more hours to go, but… do you want me to take you home?"

"It's ok Jake… I can run back home. Just hurry when you're done ok?"

"Why?"

"Well, under the car you said we'd "continue this later"." – Jacob started shaking his head from side to side, smiling in amusement.

"You're trouble Ness."

**Thank you so much for your reviews, I love to read your thoughts. Thank you also to everyone who put my story amongst your favorites, it means the world to me. Keep reading, I hope to add some action soon!!!**

**PS: I've been spelling "Carlyle" instead of "Carlisle". Both are correct spellings for that name but Stephenie spells it "Carlisle" so i apologize for my mistake and promise to spell it correctly from now one. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 12**

**Jacob's POV**

Finally it was Saturday, the day Edward and Carlisle would return home. I had mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I felt glad and relieved, because we would finally find out what was happening. Nessie had managed to drag out of me everything that Bella had told me, and since then had been anxious about what Edward and Carlisle might discover, making me anxious too. Pixie had already seen bits and pieces of what they would say to us, but I still wanted to hear it straight from them.

On the other hand however, I felt sad because Edward coming back home meant no more breakfasts at the cottage, which meant no more alone time with Bella. Not only did I enjoy her cooking, which was far better than anything I could make myself for breakfast, but I also hadn't realized how much I missed spending time with her. The last time we had been able to spend one on one time was back when she was human and Edward had left. Things were different now… better. The time we shared before was plagued with conflict, because despite of the fun we had together, she was miserable because her leech was away and I was miserable because she didn't love me. But now, we both had our significant others with us, so those few minutes we got to spend with each other every morning were uncomplicated and perfectly happy.

I was sitting on the kitchen counter while Bella made pancakes and scrambled eggs with sausage, peppers and cheese. I could tell she felt the same way because she was awfully quiet and would barely look at me. She finished the enormous breakfast and handed it to me. She stood there with the look she gets when she wants to say something important. Finally she spoke.

"I love you Jake… you know that right?"

I had to laugh, when did she get all melodramatic on me?

"Don't laugh at me!!! I'm serious."

"I know you are; that's what's funny." – She stuck her tongue at me and started cleaning the kitchen.

"I love you too Bells… truth is, I'm going to miss you once Edward gets back."

"I know." – She said, as she turned to look at me.

"Morning." – Nessie walked in the kitchen. Her eyes were still puffy from having just woken up and she was rubbing them with the back of her hands; she looked so adorable, like a little girl. The moment she walked in the room whatever nostalgia I was feeling over losing my alone time with Bells quickly went away. It was true that I missed my best friend, but I could endure anything if I had Nessie with me; she made me whole.

Nessie went over to Bella and kissed her cheek, and then came to sit next to me, kissing mine as well.

"Momma, can't you talk to dad so that Jake can eat breakfast here every day?"

"You know your dad Renesmee, he's old-fashioned; the thought of approving out loud that you two sleep together every night is alarming to him."

"But it's not like he doesn't know!!! And besides, he used to spend the night when you two were unmarried; don't you think that's a bit hypocritical of him?"

"I know honey… I don't understand your father sometimes either. I'll try to talk to him, ok?"

Nessie looked irritated so I put my arm around her waist and kissed her neck, whispering in her ear _"let it go." _She took in a deep breath and relaxed. She rested her head on my shoulder and just sat quietly while I started eating.

"Wow mom, are you trying to give Jake a heart attack?" – She was appraising my large plate. It had pancakes covered in syrup, scrambled eggs with cheese and sausage, bacon, smashed potatoes covered in gravy, bread with butter and jelly and a small bowl on the side with oatmeal and chunks of banana.

We all started laughing and Bella looked as if she would be blushing if she were still human.

"I guess I went a bit overboard… but Jake's a big boy."

"You can say that again." – Nessie wiggled her eyebrows at me. The girl was scandalous, how could she say something like that in front of Bella? I was mortified, thank god Edward wasn't here, because Ness was giving me a sexy look and my brain, without my permission, was producing the most indecent pictures. I don't know if Bella didn't notice or just pretended not to, but she kept cleaning the kitchen as if her daughter hadn't just made a sexual insinuation. She was worse than Quil, I immediately regretted all the times she had hung out with us and listened to the guy's jokes.

I cleared my throat because I felt like I would choke on my food; Nessie smiled teasingly. Like I've said before, this girl would definitely be the end of me. I continued to eat my food trying to erase from my brain the things I was thinking; I had already made my peace with those cravings but it wasn't like I wanted to go around thinking those things all the time, especially not in front of my girlfriend's mother.

After a few minutes, Nessie got down from the counter and started heading upstairs; she turned to look at me and said _"I'll be taking a shower."_ Her statement was completely innocent, but it sent chills down my spine and the images continued to make their way into my head. I could only imagine how soft her skin would get under the warm water, could only dream of what it would be like to touch her, to feel her bare skin against mine. I was deep in my thoughts when I felt something cold touch my cheek making me jump at the sensation, the images leaving me at once. Bella was standing in front of me with the back of her hand to my cheek and an examining look on her face.

"You ok Jake? You're blushing… if I didn't know better I'd think you had a fever."

"Oh… I'm fine; it's just hot in here."

Bella smiled at me and took away my plate, which I had managed to clean up. She turned around and started washing it.

"We're picking Edward and Carlisle up from the airport in a while, the whole family's going so you better go change. We leave for Seattle in an hour, ok?" – I couldn't help but smile at what Bella had just said; to think that years ago I would have gladly killed any one of them for being bloodsuckers, and now, it made me happy to be accepted as part of their family, even proud. It's bizarre what love can do to a man.

I went home in a blast, got in the shower, put on clean clothes and headed back out. Billy was sitting in the living room watching TV with Rachel and Paul. My sis' eyes lit up once she saw me; her face reminding me so much of mom.

"Hey little bro, I never get to see you anymore."

"Yeah, the vamps have taken him hostage… don't be surprised Billy when he comes home all cold and blood craving." – Paul was laughing hysterically at his really bad joke; to think that I would have to put up with him for the rest of my sister's life. Imprinting can sometimes be a bitch.

An image of Blondie popped into my head and I was surprised by the similarity in our situations, because both of us have to deal with someone we love loving someone we don't like. I immediately tried to shake of that thought, obviously; finding something in common with Blondie made me nauseous.

"Don't pay attention to Paul… stay a while Jake; we're watching reruns of "Friends"."

"Can't Rache, I'm sorry… but I have to go pickup Edward at the airport." – Paul snorted at this and I saw Billy shift a bit in his wheelchair.

"What? Are you their chauffer now?"

"Shut up Paul… I'm going with Nessie."

"Yep, imprinting can sometimes be a bitch."

"I was thinking the same thing." – I was already half way through the door. Nobody can get under my skin like Paul, except for Edward of course. I decided not to drive but run back, the little exercise would certainly put me in a good mood after my encounter with my "brother in law".

When I got to the cottage, Nessie's scent was gone, so I kept running until I reached the big house. I rounded the building and made my way into their massive garage. Emmet was already behind the wheel of his Jeep Wrangler, with Rosalie in the passenger seat checking her makeup in the rearview mirror. When they saw me, Emmet honked his horn at me and nodded, while Blondie simply scoffed and wrinkled her nose. They were already driving out, passing next to me so that could see Esme sitting in the back waving at me. I waved back and continued to make my way in.

Leaning on the yellow Porsche 911 Turbo was my Nessie, Jasper next to her with his arm around her. Pixie was already inside the car in the driver side, she had these huge sunglasses on and a scarf over her hair and around her face, probably to keep her hairdo intact while driving with the top down. She looked like an actress out of a 1950s movie and it was hard for me not to laugh. Bella was sitting in the passenger seat with her arms folded, she looked annoyed.

"Don't you think this is a bit extravagant? We want to stay low key, how the hell is this _thing_ going to blend in?"

"Oh come on Bella, I never get to drive it here in Forks!!! Just enjoy it, don't be such a party pooper!!!"

"Fine, but I much rather go with Jake and Nessie, and use my car, it's far more subtle."

"No!!! I want you with me!!! I even brought a scarf for you as well, we'll look like starlets!!!"

Now I had to laugh, mostly because Bella looked both ticked off and mortified. She glanced at me and growled, making me laugh even harder.

"Ok, Jacob's here!!! Get in the car Jasper sweetheart!!!"

Jasper kissed Nessie's forehead and patted me on the shoulder as he climbed in the backseat of the Porsche. - "Bella, would you like me to take away your irritation?" – Bella pouted as she put on the scarf in resignation. – "Fine." - Immediately a rush of happiness washed over all of us but faded quickly once Jasper was able to focus it solely on Bells.

Pixie giggled excitedly and waved to us goodbye as she sped off out of the garage.

"So, which car should we take?" – Nessie was looking at me with a big smile. This was the first time I could pick out any car out of the Cullen garage to drive. The only other time I'd had the privilege of driving one of their cars was before Nessie was born, when I stupidly thought I could just drive away and imprint on any girl I found. You would think I would take advantage of this opportunity, but they were all expensive cars and I felt inhibited.

"Um… I don't know Ness… why don't we just take your car?"

"My car? You don't want to use any of these?" – I could tell Nessie had been excited about me driving one of these beauties and that I was _"being a party pooper"_ like Pixie had so comically phrased it. Nessie looked disappointed and I wanted to kill myself.

"On the other hand… I've been dying to try out your dad's Ashton Martin V12 Vanquish."- The excitement immediately returned to Nessie's face and she ran to the cabinet where they kept the keys, tossing me Edward's.

"Shotgun!!!" – She yelled out as she climbed in. She was the cutest thing I'd ever see in my entire life. You would think that she would have already taken for granted all the material possession they own, but she doesn't. She's still like a little girl who appreciates even the smallest toy.

I took in a deep breath and got in the car. The leather interiors and the wood finishes on the dashboard made the interior space smell delicious; that, mixed with Nessie's scent, was the most fun my nose has ever had. I turned on the engine and the sound was amazing; I could feel the power of the vehicle beneath me, the vibration of the motor, the smell of gas burning, Nessie's excited heart beating. In another life it would have been a far away dream to get in a car like this, but now it was a reality, and for someone like me who's loved cars all his life, it felt great.

I drove a little above the speed limit, still a bit afraid of wrecking Edward's masterpiece. The car was purring and asking to go faster but I contained myself. Nessie was looking at me the entire time and I could tell she was enjoying this as much as I was.

We got to Seattle much too fast and I was utterly disappointed when I saw the airport in the distance. How could I possibly let go of this beauty once I'd driven it? I slowed down as to make the most of the little time I had left with the car, but we still got to the parking lot faster than I wanted. I found a spot and parked it.

"So, did you enjoy that?"

"You bet Ness, this car is amazing."

"The look on your face Jake was priceless!!! I don't think I've ever seen you _that_ into something!!! Like a little kid." – Nessie was smiling her most beautiful smile, the kind of smile she's given me since she was a kid, the smile that lets me know she loves me back, my favorite.

"That's not true Ness. There's something you've seen me into much more than into cars."

"What's that?"

"You." – Nessie's smile got wider and she leaned over to me, her lips finding mine. We started kissing and before I knew it, Ness had somehow climbed over to my side and was on my lap, facing me. I don't know if it was the adrenaline of the car ride or the enticing smell of the car's interior, but I'd never wanted Ness more. My hands started making their way up her thighs and under the flower dress she was wearing. I was right; the skin in her upper thighs was as soft and delicious as I had imagined it to be. Nessie's hands were under my shirt, caressing me, making my muscles twitch from the sensation. I wanted more, the fabric of my shirt getting in the way of my body and Ness' touch. As if she could read my mind, she began to unbutton my shirt. I could feel her fingers slightly shaking when she did this, her obvious eagerness to strip me down provoking me to kiss her even harder. I too yearned to see more of her, feel more of her; so I moved my hands upward toward her tummy, caressing every square inch of her glorious skin. As I did this, my fingers slightly graced the fabric of her underwear, making my heart skip a beat. My mind worked rapidly, showing me several variations of what she could be wearing. The only time I'd seen her in her undies was when she was a toddler and had just been potty trained; she had been so excited to wear "big girl" underwear, instead of diapers, that she lifted her dress to show me. Back then my heart had soared with joy upon seeing her so happy, the "Winnie the Pooh" design on them adorable. But now it was different, _very_ different. I desperately wanted to take off her clothes, wanted nothing more than to kiss every perfect part of her. Her lips left mine and she started tracing kisses all over my chest, each one burning into my skin, branding me as hers; but as much as I was loving it, my lips felt miserable without her and I needed to have her beautiful face close to mine, so I let go of her body with one of my hands and tilted her chin up. When I did this she smiled at me and I felt like I could die right then and there. She then raised her hands to my face and started projecting images and feelings, as we continued to kiss. Her thoughts were so chaotic it was hard to understand them. She projected how much she desired me, projected what she wanted us to do, projected how my hands felt on her body. This was too much; I was aroused more than I'd been in my entire life.

Would this be it? Would we actually lose our virginity in the front of an Ashton Martin? The thought hit me like a brick and I immediately regained consciousness of my actions. This was wrong… she deserved more, I deserved more. I knew that whenever and wherever it happened, it would be perfect, because _we_ were perfect for each other, but that didn't mean that rushing things was right. The day I confessed my love to Ness, Edward had made me promise that I would treat her with the same respect he treated Bella before marrying her; I couldn't let him down.

It was probably the hardest thing I'd ever had to do in my life, but I stopped kissing her and dropped my hands to my sides; the temptation to keep going still very strong.

"Jake…" – She breathed, as if imploring me to keep going, but I couldn't; my mind was set. I took hold of her wrists and took her hands off my face. If I kept seeing what she was thinking, there was no way I'd be able to stop this. When I did this, she stopped trying to kiss me and leaned back. We both stood there looking at each other, breathing hard. I couldn't read her eyes and it killed me not to know what she was feeling. After a few minutes of just sitting there, our breathing calmed down and she placed her hand on my face again. - _"Sorry", _was all she could project.

"No Ness… _I'm _sorry. This isn't the time or the place baby. I got carried away."

"No, it's my fault… I… I didn't mean to show you those things… I… sorry." – Her voice was cracking and she looked embarrassed, quickly getting up off me and returning to her seat. She was blushing from shame, with tears in her eyes, and wouldn't look at me. My heart felt heavy with what she was feeling and all I wanted was for her to know that it was fine, that she didn't need to feel ashamed.

"Nessie… we both got carried away… you don't have to feel ashamed, I love you."

"I'm a terrible person… I know how you've struggled with this… and I still go around tempting you… manipulating you into doing something you don't want, when all you want is what's best for me."

"Ness… please don't say that… you don't think I wanted that? I'm ok with it now… I know there's nothing wrong with wanting it; this was just a slip up, on both our parts, it's no big deal."

"No Jake!!! What kind of a girl shows those things to her boyfriend?!!!" – I finally got what she was so mortified about.

"Ness… you love me, you trust me enough to show me your feelings, to show me what you want. That's not manipulation. I just think we both have to understand that this is a part of our relationship, you know? Learn to laugh at the predicaments we put ourselves into. If we would have gone ahead with it, can you imagine what Edward would have said if he knew we had sex in his favorite car?"

I was trying to lighten things up and it worked because Ness smiled and finally looked at me. Her smile was somehow sad, but it was still the most beautiful thing in this world. I knew she had put herself in a vulnerable position by showing me what she did, and I also knew that pushing her away after that must have been somewhat humiliating for her; I didn't want her to feel rejected.

I wiped a tear from her cheek with my thumb and leaned in to kiss her.

"If I could show you things… I would have shown you exactly what you showed me. Don't feel bad baby… please… promise me." – She smiled again and nodded, wiping with her fingertips the last of her tears. I felt like a stupid dog for making her cry.

"I'm ok Jake… maybe we should go inside, they're probably wondering about us."

"Oh-oh… you think you can block out your thoughts from Edward." – She blushed again but this time it was adorable, not painful.

"I hope so. Can you?!!!" – Her eyes were wide with horror, probably mirroring mine because I was just as anxious. I'm not exactly known for keeping thoughts to myself, not when Edward's concerned. But I couldn't embarrass Nessie anymore, so I knew I had to accomplish it.

"Yes, don't worry… let's hurry before they suspect anything."

We ran out of the car and went inside the airport. After a few minutes of walking around, we were able to find the family. They were all sitting in a waiting area; Bella having a conversation with Esme and Blondie while Pixie sat in Jasper's lap with her middle and index fingers pressed to her temples and her eyes closed, probably trying to see what was the cause of the plane's delay. Emmet had found a chair facing a big screen TV that was running a football game and was sitting in it with his feet perched up on another chair's arm, just the way he's sit in his own living room.

"What took you guys so long?"

"Oh Bella, it's obvious…" – Nessie and I both braced ourselves for what Blondie would say.

"… It was stupid of us to let a mutt drive; he probably couldn't handle the car. Did your paws get in the way of steering, dog?" – Nessie and I both relaxed at this.

"Hey Blondie, what do you call a blonde behind the steering wheel?... Air bag." – She just scoffed at my joke and nobody else laughed, but at least nobody noticed anything wrong. I felt Nessie exhale and giggle a litter, probably out of obligation, but I still liked it.

"Got it!!! They'll land in five minutes and be walking through that door in twenty." – Pixie exhaled loudly and automatically relaxed once she had seen the future, quickly getting into the conversation between Bella and Esme. Nessie and I sat down and waited, we were both sort of edgy from what had just happened. I caught Jasper looking at us, a slight smile curving his lips. We could block our thoughts from Edward but there was no blocking our mood from Jasper, who was probably picking up on God knows what. I could only hope the he wouldn't tell Edward, otherwise we'd be screwed.

Just as Pixie had predicted, twenty minutes passed and sure enough, Edward and Carlisle walked in pulling their luggage. Bella and Esme were the first to get up, running towards their respective mates. Everyone stayed behind giving both couples the sense of privacy.

"Hey bro!!! What'd you bring me?" – Emmet's loud voice startled several people sitting nearby. He went up to Edward and gave him a massive hug, patting him loudly on the back.

"I brought you a polar bear... but they confiscated it in customs." - Emmet laughed out loud, starteling the nearby strangers again.

Carlisle hugged and kissed everyone, except for me of course, whom he just shook hands with. After everyone was done greeting each other, we decided to go back home so that Edward and Carlisle could give us an update.

"Bella, are you coming back with me?"

"No Alice, we're driving back with Renesmee and Jacob… see you at the house." – Bella took hold of Edwards hand and started walking faster, not giving Pixie a chance to persuade her otherwise. Nessie giggled and started walking faster as to catch up with her parents and I followed. When we reached the car, Edward came to a halt.

"Mmmm… I see _someone_ had fun." – Edward was looking at the Ashton Martin, obviously assuming that it had been me who had chosen to bring _that_ car. He smiled teasingly and turned to look at me. - "So, you want to drive it back?"

"Really? Yeah!!!"

"Ok… Bella and I will sit in the back… we have a lot of catching up to do."

"On second thought, I'd rather you drive." – I said it with a disgusted face, holding the keys in front of me, and everyone laughed, even Nessie who found Bella and Edward's PDA equally disturbing as I did.

We all got in the car and headed home. Nessie was sitting beside me and I was trying hard not to think about what had happened just 45 minutes ago in this very car. I turned to look at Nessie and saw that she had her eyes closed and was deep in concentration. I turned my focus on the road and blocked my thoughts, becoming so concentrated that I wasn't even enjoying the feel of the car as I drove it back. I was deep in meditation when Edward's voice startled me.

"Alright… any of you want to tell me something?"

"What?" – Both Nessie and I responded in unison.

"Let me put it this way; Nessie is repeating the national anthem over and over again and you Jacob are up to 168 "bottles of beer on the wall". Is there anything you'd like to say?"

"No." - We responded again in unison.

"No? Nothing inappropriate going on?"

I glanced at Nessie and she looked mortified, how could I save her from this?

"Nothing that's your business." – As soon as I said it, I knew it was a mistake. Stupid dog.

"My daughter is my business." – Bella was trying to quiet him by whispering things into his ear, but she was failing miserably. I could already feel the anger radiating from him. Nessie was looking even more worried and I knew my response had been way off, so I tried a new tactic.

"Edward, you know I would never hurt Ness, I respect and love her the way you respected and loved Bella before you were married… that's all I can tell you… you're just going to have to trust me, because I'm sure as hell _not_ going to show you anything. That's between Ness and me."

I took in a big breath and braced myself for Edward's retort, expecting him to overreact like he always does. So I was utterly surprised when he simply said – "Fair enough."

I felt Ness exhale and relax a bit in her seat. She looked at me and mouthed _"Momma is shielding us."_ In that moment all I wanted was to turn around and give Bells a big bear hug, I really did love that woman. I heard Edward whisper to Bella and say – "Pushover." - A smile evident in his voice.

Finally I was able to relax and at last got to enjoy the drive back.

**Nessie's POV**

I was extremely relieved when we arrived at the big house. The tension in the car was enough to kill a human being and all I wanted was to get out. Even though I knew my mom was shielding us, it was still uncomfortable to be sitting so close to dad with my mind begging to scream out everything that had happened. Just the sight of Jacob gave me goose-bumps and chills. His hands on my body had been the most amazing and delicious thing I'd ever felt in my entire life; I could still feel my body tingling from where he had touched me. This was definitely dangerous territory and I just really needed to get away from the car, because every second inside it was agony, my feelings still very much stirred up by the events.

We entered the big house and gathered in our large dining room table. I was nervous about this meeting and about the information we would obtain, so much so that I quickly forgot about the car incident. Deep down inside I felt as though my dream had something to do with the werewolf appearance, like maybe it had been a premonition of some sort; I was dead afraid of this, of course, because that meant that something bad might happen to Jacob. Just the thought made me want to burst out in tears, so I put it away and tried to focus on the situation at hand.

Once we were all seated, my grandpa was the first to speak.

"Alright, why don't we start be telling you everything we found out and you can ask us all the questions you like.

First off, you'll be happy to know that none of our dear friends has been injured. I think it's precise we get that out of the way so we are all more relaxed. According to Tanya, the week before last, Thursday night, she was reading a book in their study when she felt the presence of something, a creature, she hadn't felt before; she says the scent she perceived was foul and putrid. She went outside and realized, with great shock, that in front of their house were four of these creatures. The description she gave us is that they were covered in thick black hair, stood on their two legs like humans, were extremely tall, at least 8 ft, had yellowish eyes with black slits like cats, and faces similar to wolves."

Panic started hitting me when I realized how similar to my dream the wolves actually were. Jacob must have sensed my panic because he scooted his chair closer to mine and wrapped his arm around my waist; his closeness relaxed me and I was able to breathe and keep listening to the account.

"Tanya alerted the others and within seconds they were all outside facing the creatures. She says they attached in a group formation, like a pack with one mind."

I felt Jacob shift in his chair and take in a deep breath. I wanted desperately to know what he was feeling and thinking; but since I couldn't ask, I just let it go and continued to pay attention. This was vital information I couldn't miss.

"The fight begun… Tanya says they were extremely strong. One of them tackled Eleazar and threw him about a hundred yards away, something rather difficult to do to a vampire. She says that if not for the fact that we vampires are faster and that the wolves were outnumbered, they would have easily won."

"So they're stronger than us?" – Uncle Em looked outraged, I guess because he's always gloating that he's the strongest thing out there.

"Tanya believes they are as strong if not stronger than newborn vampires. So yes, I'm sorry to say Emmet, but they are stronger than us.

Subsequently, the fight didn't last long. Our friends were far too quick for the creatures to be able to damage them. Tanya and Kate both injured two of the creatures, while Garret ripped off the arm of another. At some point, without any form of communication that Tanya could perceive, they decided to retreat and sped off."

"Why didn't they follow them?!!! Finish them off?!!!" – Uncle Em yelled in disbelief.

"They tried but couldn't find their scent, as if they had just disappeared. It is very strange indeed, my guess is that they must have somehow returned to their human form, and since Tanya and the others were tracking a specific scent, they completely missed them."

"So they really are werewolves?" – Jacob's voice was calm but firm, all business.

"I can't be a hundred percent sure until I run some tests on the creature's arm. But I believe so, yes."

"What makes them different from us? From me?"

"Well Jacob, I'm glad you asked, because over time the legends about werewolves have evolved and been altered from the truth. There are many differences. First of all, you and your peers are shape-shifters; your ancestors could have chosen any other animal form, unlike werewolves, who actually carry wolf DNA in their systems, making them hybrids. It's in their genetic code, it's not a decision, not a birthright; it's a mutation.

Secondly, they cannot control the transformation and once they are transformed, it is believed that their human rationale and morals are lost, the animal part takes over and they act upon instinct. That makes them extremely volatile and dangerous."

"So it's true about the full moon changing them?"

"Not _actually_. Over time the idea of the full moon effect has been romanticized and we have been lead to believe that some supernatural occurrence takes place. The truth is; their transformation happens in cycles, much like a woman's menstrual cycle, it is something repetitive and coincides with the moon's phases. Therefore it is not only on the full moon, but each time the moon completely reaches a phase."

"If that's true, how could they have changed back to human form to elude Tanya and the others?" – Uncle Jazz had a serious face on and seemed really worried, everyone's mood possibly rubbing off on him.

"I don't know son… something is very off. A normal werewolf would not have the capacity to change at will. Also, werewolves are sloppy in their attacks and although they do run in groups, they do not run in packs. The attack Tanya describes was planned and according to her, there was coordination within the group. Normal werewolves cannot communicate between themselves, much less act in coordination as a team. And their retreat is also very rare, because they are known to be blood driven irrational creatures that'll fight till the death."

"So is it possible that they're not werewolves?" – What Uncle Jazz was asking made me very nervous. If these creatures were not werewolves, than we knew nothing about them, making this situation much more treacherous.

"It is possible, although I've never heard of creatures of this sort outside of werewolves; it is highly unlikely that no one would know about them. Maybe the werewolves have evolved somehow, become smarter and more organized."

"I think we're missing the most important question…" – Jacob's voice was void of emotion and his face was a hard mask. I knew he was about to say something horrible. Everyone turned to look at him in expectance.

"…no matter what these things are… why would they attack Tanya and her family?"

Everyone looked from Jacob to grandpa; but it wasn't grandpa who answered.

"Vampires… because they're vampires." – My dad was not looking at Jacob when he answered; he was looking at mom, the one person he can't live without, the person he'd protect with his own life. I felt nauseous. If these things were targeting vampires, my entire family was at risk, and although for the time being it seemed they were easily beat, I had a feeling in the gut of my stomach that this wasn't the end of it.

"I do too." – My dad looked over to me, responding to my thoughts.

**Thanks for your reviews… keep them coming!!! I'm trying to add a little suspense and thrill, let me know if it's working!!! **

**PS: According to the Twilight Books, Bella's car as a vampire is a Ferrari, but I'm thinking that she would probably keep it stored and would drive something a bit more modest. Just in case you were wondering about her comment to Alice about her car being more "subtle" to take to the airport. I know I'm being crazy, just wanted to clear that up. :) :) :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 13**

**Nessie's POV**

Once the meeting was over, Grandpa quickly excused himself and went upstairs to the lab to start testing the creature's arm, taking Grandma with him. Aunt Alice was extremely put off by the fact that she did not see the attack coming, so she and Uncle Jazz left, to get some distance from me and Jake, so that she could concentrate on looking into the future and finding some sort of clue that could help us figure everything out.

"Come on Rose… the mood here is killing me." – Uncle Em took Aunt Rosie's hand and they also left the house running.

"Bella love, your eyes look really dark… when's the last time you went hunting?"

"When we went together, before you left."

"Bella." - Dad was giving mom a reproachful look. – "That was more than a week ago, that's not good."

"I didn't want to go without you… I've never hunted without you." – She was pouting at my dad, her perfectly beautiful face looking more human than vampire. My dad smiled at her and kissed the tip of her nose. – "Silly girl." – Then he turned to look at me, knowing I wasn't in the best mood, worry still very much in me.

"Nessie darling, I think hunting will help take our minds off all this… come with us."

"Sure… we have to go hunting anyway… let's go Jake." – I turned to look at him and didn't find the face I expected. He looked very serious and thoughtful. He cleared his throat before speaking… never a good sign.

"Baby… I can't… everything Carlisle said is really important… I have to call a pack meeting, Sam's and mine… we need to figure things out too." – Like mom, I'd never gone hunting without my significant other; I can't remember a Saturday when I hadn't hunted with Jacob, I wasn't sure I could do it.

"But this doesn't have anything to do with you… you don't have to get involved." – I was panicking, first of all, because I desperately wanted to leave Jacob out of this; and secondly, because I didn't want him out of my sight. My statement sounded more like a plea, like a child's desperate plea.

"If it has to do with you… it has to do with me. Besides, these wolves can hurt people and we can't have that, not here. We need to prepare." – There was no hesitation in Jacob's voice or face, I knew I couldn't persuade him otherwise and I knew he needed to fulfill his alpha role. So I just took in a deep breath and nodded.

"Would you walk me out?" – Jacob's voice changed from firm to shy, the sweetness returning in his tone. I looked up and was immediately overwhelmed by his beauty and the love in his eyes. I smiled and nodded once more.

I walked outside, in front of him, until I reached the beginning of the forest. When I turned to face him, he was leaning back on a fallen tree branch that lay diagonally, resting on another tree. He had his hands inside his pockets, with his face leaned down but looking up at me, his hair falling over his dark eyes. It was extremely sexy and I suddenly remembered our "car incident". I just stood there not knowing what to do or say; his stare unnerving me.

I finally couldn't take it anymore so I walked up to him. As soon as I was close enough, he took his hands out of his pockets and placed them on either side of my waist, caressing my belly with his thumbs. I gently swept away the hair from his face and kept my hand on his cheek, not projecting anything, just feeling his soft warm skin under mine.

"Will you be ok without me?"- He sounded sincerely worried.

"No." – He smiled and bit his lower lip, blushing slightly. I'd never seen him do that and it killed me. How could I let go of him? How could I go hunting as usual after watching him do _that_?

"Ness… you're projecting." – It wasn't a warning or a reproach, he was actually amused. I had no idea what I had projected, because it hadn't been on purpose, but it had made him blush so it couldn't be decent. I quickly pulled my hand away but he grabbed it and kept it in place, never breaking eye contact with me.

"I like it." – The way he said it wasn't seductive or sexual or teasing, it was sincere and innocent. We stayed looking at each other for what seemed like a lifetime, my hand still on his face and his hands still caressing my waist.

"I wish I could read yours."

"Well, my thoughts aren't half as dirty as yours…" – He was teasing now, making me giggle.

"What did I project?" – The curiosity was killing me, mostly because I've never projected something by accident; I always choose a thought and think it and then show it, nothing has ever slipped away unconsciously. When I asked, Jacob blushed again and again bit his lower lip, looking down, the sides of his mouth twitching from where they wanted to break out into a smile.

"The time I phased after your fight with Blondie." – I immediately felt a flush of red go straight to my face. _That_ is something I never wanted him to know, much less see!!! I took my hand from his face and covered mine with both hands, the heat of my flustered cheek burning into my palms. Jacob started laughing his loud bark laugh and I just wanted to hit him. He pulled me closer and instead of just holding my waist with his hands, he wrapped his arms around it, closing any gap that had been between us.

"Come on Ness… please don't hide your beautiful face from me."

"You weren't supposed to see that." - My voice was muffled but I knew he could understand. My statement made him laugh again.

"You're so adorable!!! A few minutes ago you were showing me worse things… and now you feel shy, for _this_?" – I could tell from his voice that he had his huge "Jake" grin on, but as much as I loved it when he smiled like that, I couldn't take my hands off my face.

"I know… I'm a silly girl."

"Yep… you're also a perve." – I could feel the vibration of laughter in his chest. – "Here I was all mortified that I would pervert you when all along you're the one that's been taking advantage of _me_… a guy can't even phase without his depraved girlfriend peeking at him."

He continued to laugh while I continued to hide my face; I don't know why I was so mortified. He was right; some minutes ago I was deliberately stripping him and showing him really sensual things, so why would I be embarrassed over this? I decided to stop the dramatics and took my hands off my face. Once I did this, he started playfully kissing my neck, making me squirm from the sensation, his juicy pecks tickling me.

"Ss…ss…stop it!!!" – I could barely speak from my giggling. He stopped but kept me securely pinned to his body.

"I want to see more… show me more… what other pervy things have you been doing?" – He was smiling his half smile, the one that drives me crazy, and was pulling my hand back toward his face. I playfully struggled but eventually gave in and placed my hand on his cheek. Whatever slipped out of me made him abruptly stop smiling; again I had no idea what I'd projected. For the half second before he spoke, my mind raced to try and find something in me that would make him stop smiling.

"Ness… is _that_ what your nightmare was about… about me dying?" – He was holding me even tighter, pressing his forehead to mine. Again, I had no intention of him ever finding that out; the only person that knew about that horrible dream was my dad, mostly because I couldn't hide anything from him; and of course, my momma probably knew because _he_ couldn't hide anything from _her._ Just remembering the dream made me want to cry, but I kept it in because I couldn't worry Jacob.

"I didn't want you to see that… it's nothing."

"It's not nothing Ness… if it was so on the surface that it came out by accident, it means you've been thinking about it, worrying about it." – He was so right I couldn't lie to him.

"You can't die… please… please don't leave me." – I pressed myself closer to him and closed my eyes, trying to keep the tears from coming.

"Ness… I'm the biggest meanest bad ass wolf out there; nothing's gonna happen to me." – He was half joking, but I didn't find it funny, not in the least, because he could still get hurt.

"You're not invincible Jake."

"Well, not _exactly_… but almost. We scared the shit out of the Voltury 6 years ago… and they were vampires… vampires Ness!!! You don't think we'll easily massacre some small time pack of dogs? I would actually be looking forward to a confrontation if I didn't have to worry about you… I bet the guys will be thrilled with the prospect of a fight."

"You need to take this seriously Jake!!! Dammit!!!" – His attitude was pissing me off, he couldn't take this lightly.

"Oh come on Ness… stop the dramatics. It's been a long time since the guys had a good fight!!! My only worry is you… other than that, this could actually be fun."

"How can you say that? What if it were me, huh? What if you thought _I_ was in danger, what if you'd seen _me_ being killed by one of those things, and I just boasted about being half vampire and "invincible" instead of being careful? Momma's right, sometimes you can be such a child. Get out of my way, I'm done with you."

I pushed him away and started walking back to the house. I couldn't handle his dismissive attitude toward something so crucial; his life was my life… I would surely perish without him. It was as if he didn't care that this whole thing scared the crap out of me.

He caught up to me and stood in my way so I couldn't get passed him.

"I'm not being a child… I'm just being realistic… a dream is not reality Ness!!! Don't you know who I am? I'm the god damn alpha!!! This is nothing… those things are _not_ a threat!!! _You're_ the one that's being childish!!!" – He was yelling really loudly and I knew my parents could hear him; why my dad hadn't come out to punch him for talking to me this way was beyond me. At this point I would have actually enjoyed watching my dad put him in his place.

I pushed him as hard as I could, but it was like trying to move a mountain.

"Get the hell out of my way Jacob Black… you're nothing but an insensitive dog!!!" – I immediately regretted calling him a "dog", because I knew how much it would hurt me if he ever called me a "leech" or a "bloodsucker". An image of the jerk in Jacob's work popped into my head and I felt as offensive as him. I couldn't take it anymore; I felt disgusted with myself, so I just dropped to my knees and started crying, a mixture of frustration, anger and guilt invading me.

Jacob had fistfuls of his hair in his hands and was pulling at it, his eyes pressed closed and his entire body shaking. We'd never fought before… I didn't like it. _"Let them handle it"_ I heard my momma whisper to dad, inside the house; good, because dad coming out would only make things worse.

Jacob finally calmed himself and dropped to his knees in front of me. He took my face in his huge hands and started kissing me all over, wiping my tears with his lips.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry… so sorry." – He kept repeating it as he continued to kiss every inch of my face and neck.

"I didn't mean to call you a dog… I didn't mean it… I was horrible." – I could barely speak through my sobs.

"I had it coming… please baby… stop crying."

"I can't… you didn't… I never _ever_ wanted to call you that… but you're such a cocky jerk."

He stopped kissing me and pulled back to look at me. - "Ok, are you apologizing or just insulting me more?" – He could already make jokes… I really loved this man. I couldn't help but laugh in between my sobs, which made him smile.

"Any other insult or are you done?"

"I think I'm done." – He smiled again when I was able to say this without sobbing.

"You're right though… I can't just dismiss your fears even if I don't think you have anything to worry about… because you don't Ness. If it comes to a fight, with your family and our packs, those things won't stand a chance. Can you just trust me? Believe in me?"

"I do… but I still worry… tragedies happen all the time… you're human… even momma worries about dad."

"Ok, first off, your mom is a panicky apprehensive little vamp… and your dad is kind of a sissy." – I heard both mom and dad growl inside the house, but I couldn't stop from laughing.

"He could easily kick your butt though."

"_That_ remains to be seen." – We both heard dad say inside the house _"I'd gladly show you." _Jacob rolled his eyes at me and whispered – "Sissy _and_ nosy."

I laughed again while Jacob got to his feet and took my hands to help me up; completely unnecessary but I still liked it.

"I really have to go Ness… call the meeting… you see, I'm not taking this lightly… I'm just… how did you put it? A cocky jerk?" – He made me laugh again, by this time the knot in my stomach was gone.

"Let's just say "overconfident", ok?"

"How about "right on the money"?" – I rolled my eyes and made him laugh. He took my face in his hands again and kissed my lips, not nearly long enough as I would have liked, but close enough.

"Let's never fight again… I _really_ didn't like that." – I answered by placing my hand on his cheek and projecting how awful I felt after calling him a "dog" and projected how badly I never wanted to offend him again. When I was done, he opened his eyes and said – "Promise?"- The vulnerability in his tone killing me.

"Promise." – I answered. I would rather chew my own tongue off than say something derogative to him again. He took my hand and we walked a bit farther into the forest, he stopped and turned to look at me.

"So… wanna watch me phase?" – He wiggled his eyebrows at me and my dad simultaneously called out: _"Watch it"._ I blushed and so did Jacob; this new habit of his was really sexy and I suddenly didn't care what my dad thought.

He kissed me one last time, but instead of walking towards a tree to strip, he just stood there looking deeply and intensely into my eyes and pulled his shorts down. Neither of us broke eye contact, which meant I really didn't see anything… he was so close to me that I would have to look directly down to see anything, not even my peripheral vision allowing me to keep looking into his eyes and see much beyond his torso. Even though I saw close to nothing, it was still really exhilarating and I could feel my face getting hotter by the second.

"You're trouble Jake." – I said to him, imitating what he has said to me days before, outside his work, shaking my head as if in disapproval. Still not breaking eye contact, he leaned closer to me so that our faces were just an inch apart and I could feel his sweet breath.

"You have no idea." – And with that, he phased. He'd never phased so close to me; my hair was blown out of place, the force of the current of air forcing me to shut my eyes, a bolt of electricity running through my body from the impact of his morph. When I opened my eyes he was gone, just leaving behind the imprint of his large paws on the wet ground.

**Jacob's POV**

I was running with great force across the forest, my paws hitting the ground hard and all the leaves and branches stirring as I made my way through. The run was therapeutic; my fight with Ness still very present in my mind. I didn't want to upset her, so I'd started joking as always to lighten the mood, but everything that had happened really hurt me. Nessie had never gotten angry at me, never. And she definitely had never yelled at me or called me names, which was the worst part. The face she was giving me was engraved in my head and wouldn't go away; I always thought I'd be on the other end of her loving and caring expression, never imagined even in my worst nightmares that I could inspire such anger in her; she looked just about ready to hit me. My heart felt really heavy and not even the thought that she loved me and didn't mean it could take away my sorrow. How many other fights would we have? Was there something wrong with me? Was I a bad soul mate? Because I'd never seen Emily and Sam fight, Bella or Edward, not even bad tempered Blondie and impulsive Emmet.

"_You're such a girl Jacob."_- Leah was in wolf form and had listened in on my thoughts.

"_Shut up Leah… I'm not in the mood."_

"_When are you ever in the mood?"_

"_For your shit… never. Now, make yourself useful and get the others, we need to have a meeting."_

"_Fine, but you're calling Sam."_

"_Whatever… whose the girl now?"_ – She growled at me and thought of three different and very painful ways of killing me. I dismissed her hostile attitude as always and continued to run until I reached Emily and Sam´s cabin. Sam came out as soon as the cabin was in sight, so I phased back right in front of him.

"Is there a problem?" – He was in full alpha mode, not even bothering to greet me.

"Not right now… but possibly later. We need to call a meeting, your pack and mine."

Sam nodded, took his pants off and phased. About two minutes passed before Sam's entire pack appeared in wolf form. Sam barked at me, signaling that they would follow, so I phased and we all started running.

"_Everyone there?"_

"_Yes."_ – They all thought in unison. From what I could see, Leah, Seth and Embry were already reunited in our special meeting place. Quil was still running to get there; an image of Clair begging him not to leave her replaying over and over in his mind.

"_You'll get back to her soon."_

"_Thanks… I'm almost there."_

Quil and I arrived at the spot almost at the same time, the other pack trailing behind me. As soon as we were all there, Leah left so we could all phase back and returned fully dressed. We all sat down in the ground in a circle and everyone turned to look at me. No matter how long I've been the alpha of my pack, it still makes me nervous to be in the lead. I took in a deep breath before I spoke, not wanting to show my insecurity.

"Hello everyone, thank you for coming. The reason I called this meeting is because I've learned of a potential threat to our community and think it's necessary to share with you this information so that we can all be prepared if in fact this threat presents itself."

Everyone nodded and Sam raised his hand imploring me to keep going. I explained in detail everything that had happened with the Denalis, told them about the creatures first appearing a few months back in Volterra and about Carlisle's hypothesis and assessment of the situation. When I was done, Sam spoke.

"Thank you Jacob. I can see your concern, considering that these creatures appeared both times very close to vampire populations… but I must say… this has nothing to do with us." – Everyone in Sam's pack nodded in agreement, while mine turned to look at me. I felt the pressure but didn't let it get the best of me.

"It has everything to do with us Sam. These werewolves are known to be blood driven animals, they have no control, they hurt people, turn people, kill people. We are defenders of the human race and if those things show up here, it's our responsibility to take them out."

"First of all, you are not certain that they are truly werewolves. Secondly, have there been any reports of animal attacks on civilians? Do you have any proof that these creatures are not just after vampires? Because if not, they don't seem any different from us."

"What?" – I was dumbfounded. I never expected things to go this way, because I was sure I'd have Sam's support on this. What he was saying really caught me off guard. I cleared my throat before I spoke again.

"Sam, we can't take that chance. Besides, the Denalis are not a harm to humans, there is no reason why these things would rightfully attack them. Do not compare them to us."

"I must remind you Jacob that some time ago we did not care much if the vampires were "vegetarians"; the treaty was made by our ancestors but before that, we would have hunted them for just being the evil creatures they are. How can you be so sure that these things don't mean well? They would have to be acquainted with the Denalis to know they don't harm humans, a concept rather rare in the vampire population; as far as they could be concerned, the Denalis are vampires and evil."

"Sam, I'm not saying we should go hunt them… I'm just saying we should be prepared if they come here."

"Of course Jacob, but if they do not harm humans, there is no reason for us to get involved. We have our treaty with the Cullens, but that's as far as we go. We cannot get in the middle of their own fights." – I wanted to reach over and strangle Sam. It was my family he was talking about. Was he actually proposing we step aside and let them get killed?

"What about the Voltury? We got in the middle of that."

"Yes Jacob, but those were special circumstances. They were after your imprint and would certainly pose a threat to us, eventually. They were after all our enemies as well. If these creatures mean humans no harm, than they are not our enemies and Renesmee is safe."

"But her family isn't!!!"

"That, Jacob, is not our business." – Now I really wanted to strangle him. My hands were shaking and I felt as though I was about to phase, so I took in another big breath and decided on another approach.

"Sam, what if it was Emily? What if it were Emily's family the ones we were talking about?" – I felt Leah shift in her seat next to me at the mention of Emily's name, but I didn't pay attention; my focus was solely on Sam. My question struck a chord in him because he broke eye contact and looked down, thinking. When he finally spoke, his voice was softer but not less determined.

"Jacob… our imprints are part of our packs, we have a responsibility to protect them because if one of them should get hurt, it affects us all. Having said that... as alphas we have the duty to look out for the "greater good", for the safety and well being of our packs and our people. If Renesmee isn't directly in danger, we cannot risk the safety of our pack to protect outsiders. My priorities are in place, first our pack and our people, then other civilians. I'm sorry, but vampires can take care of themselves; it is not our function to protect them. You need to be objective."

Before Sam had finished, Leah, who was sitting on my right, started growling at him. Even in her human form, she was still really scary and her growl still echoed through the forest. Sam looked really taken aback by her reaction. I knew this would solve nothing, so I gently placed my hand on her shoulder; as soon as I did this, Leah stopped growling and relaxed in her seat.

"Jacob, please don't take this personally. I believe we are getting ahead of ourselves; we are just conversing about this, throwing out possible scenarios, discussion tactics… you are not even sure if this things _are_ a threat. If the Doctor is right and these creatures are really werewolves, the kind that go on murderous rampages and infect other humans, than we _will_ fight them." – He was right. This meeting was just to brief everyone and let them know what was going on and what could possibly happen; I didn't need to get worried or worked up about it. It was even possible that in fact the vamps would not even need our assistance.

I wanted the meeting to be over, so I got to my feet and walked forward, Leah and Quil rising when I did and walking next to me, flanking me on each side. Sam did the same and we met half way; only Jared by Sam's side. He extended his hand towards me and we shook.

"Thank you for the information Jacob. I expect you'll be letting us know what the Doctor finds."

"Yes, of course. Thank you for your time Sam." – With a serene smile, he turned and ran into the forest, followed by his entire pack. I felt relieved once they left; I knew he was right, but it still angered me that he wouldn't support me, support Ness, without first having proof; that he really didn't care about the Cullens. I suddenly realized I was alone in that… caught between two opposite worlds.

Once everyone was gone, Quil patted me on the back.

"You did good Jake… relax… whatever happens, you have our loyalty." – Even though I already knew this, it still felt good to hear him say it. My spirits were not high after the meeting.

"Yeah, don't worry Jake. Besides, Nessie's half vampire… if these things are attacking vampires, she _is_ directly at risk. Sam knows this. When push comes to shove, he'll back you up… I know him." – Leah blushed a bit when she said that last part and I felt bad for her; after all this time and she still loved him. I made a mental note to be nicer to her.

"So, is there anything we can do right now?" – Embry was standing with his arms crossed; Seth to his left nodding excitedly.

"We'll just double up on patrols and extend our perimeter. If these things plan on coming here, we'll know about it."

"Would you like me to stand watch on the Cullen house?" – Seth had his goofy excited grin on, probably because he liked the Cullens and Esme always cooks him his favorite meals.

"Not yet Seth… let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"Ok… so… can I get back to Clair?" – Both Leah and Embry rolled their eyes at Quil; I would have probably done the same if I didn't know how horrible it is to be far away from ones imprint.

"Sure, sure." – Quil phased on the spot, not even bothering to take his pants off, speeding back towards town.

"I can't wait for Clair to grow up… maybe she'll stop being so needy." – Embry was half joking and I couldn't blame him for his comment, because I knew how much he missed Quil and me since we imprinted. I could only hope that he would imprint soon so I didn't have to carry the guilt of bailing on him.

"That's doubtful Embry… look at Nessie, she's just as clingy." – Leah was giving me her sadistic evil smile, but I refrained from any reply because I know how hard this whole imprinting thing is on her. I couldn't even imagine Nessie being in love with someone else, let alone have to accept it. Leah was a tough girl, I'll tell you that.

Once Leah realized she couldn't start a fight with me, something she loves to do, she decided to leave, taking Seth with her. – "Como on bro, let's go see if mom's home."

"So… you getting back to Nessie now?" – Embry looked so lonely it killed me.

"She's hunting with Bella and Edward… I'm sure they'll keep her busy… you wanna go do something?" – Embry's face lit up and I knew Nessie would understand, because she's always had a soft spot for him.

"I just got the new "Guitar Hero"!!! You can rock the guitar and I'll play the drums!!!"

"Ok, cool… let's go."

We started running back to Embry's house and as I ran, I sent a text message to Nessie.

_The meeting went well. I'm spending the afternoon with Embry… he needs me. I hate to leave you but I need to be a good friend to him. Love you more than you know._

About two seconds passed before my phone vibrated in my pocket: a text from Ness.

_I love you more. Be careful. I'll wait for you in bed… leave the window opened for you. XOXO_

And with that, I was able to enjoy the afternoon with Embry; knowing my Nessie, the reason of my existence, the happiness of my life, would be waiting for me… _in bed_.

**Thank you so much for adding me to your "favorites" list… it means a lot. Please leave me your reviews!!! I don't have nearly as many as I'd like!!!**

**PS. This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend Mojito… love ya, thanks for reading.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 14**

**Nessie's POV**

It had been five months since dad and grandpa came back from Alaska, and since then, we had heard nothing about the werewolves. Weekly, grandpa would run routine check-ups on our close family friends all around the world, calling them to make sure if they had anything new to report and were safe. But so far, nothing. Aunt Alice left the house for days at a time, trying to get some distance from me so she could concentrate on seeing the future, but she was coming up short. This whole situation was really getting on her nerves and she figured that these things probably have the same effect to her gift like Jacob and I. These days, she was in such a bad mood all the time that even Uncle Jazz, who loves her to death, kept his distance; coming up with all sorts of "guys only" activities with dad and Uncle Em… needless to say, momma and Aunt Rose where not happy.

I've never been one to care much about the news, but I became obsessed with knowing everything that was happening around the world, believing that at some point an attack would be reported or one of the creatures would be spotted. Every morning I would read five different newspapers, watch two international news programs and surf the web for any breaking news. But again, nothing.

The tests grandpa ran on the creature's arm confirmed that they were in fact werewolves; because he found wolf DNA adhered in their genetic code, making him absolutely certain of their breed. Something else he found was traces of vampire venom inside the arm's blood stream, which probably resulted from one of the Denali's bites. This little piece of information made me very nervous, because that meant that these things were immune to vampire venom, unlike Jacob, otherwise the bite would have surely killed the armless creature. How else were they stronger than Jacob and the others? How else were they invulnerable to vampires… to my family? The thought that vampire venom would not render the creature completely lifeless was beyond me; and no matter how much Jacob reassured me that I had nothing to worry about, that was the only thing I found myself doing: worrying.

Despite his incessant rants about how strong and dangerous everyone in my family and in his pack was; Jacob still ran double the patrols he used to. This meant that for the last five months our time together became more limited: I would see him briefly in the mornings, then he would go to work and I to school the entire morning, he would come over for a few minutes and then leave for almost the rest of the afternoon to run the patrols, which were now not only more in number but also covered more ground, making them take longer to finish. Every day I would ask to go with him and everyday he would refuse. I was completely conflicted with this, wanting to keep him safe by my side and spend the amount of time we used to, but also wanting his pack to find the werewolves once and for all and finish them off.

"Show me what you're thinking". – We were tucked in bed together, his arm around me and my legs wrapped around his. I was still pretty sleepy when he spoke, so it took me a little bit to answer.

"I was thinking about you running patrol all by your lonesome self." I'd tried just about every tactic to convince him to let me come with him, so whatever I tried now was just for the sake of it, all hope that it could work completely gone. When I said this he smiled and kissed the tip of my nose.

"Well… not exactly… I have Leah with me." – I punched his arm and he laughed. There was something about his relationship with Leah that never made me jealous, weirdly enough considering she's probably the woman closest to him apart from his sisters and my mom.

"She would be a really angry girlfriend… but if you prefer to be abused… go ahead." – He laughed again at my response and continued to play along.

"Leah can be very gentle sometimes." – He said it looking up into the distance as if remembering a fond moment. Now I was the one laughing.

"It's the fur isn't it?"

"The licking." – He wiggled his eyebrows at me making me laugh even harder. I moved closer to him but instead of kissing him I started licking his face, imitating an overzealous doggy, with the panting and all. I got on top of him and continued to lick his face as he continued to laugh his bark of a laugh.

"Ok… Ok!!! You win… I'll just have to break it off with her!!!" – He kept laughing until my tongue was tired and I stopped the licking, sitting up straight.

"You're crazy Ness!!! I love it!!!"

"Shh… don't yell so loud… they'll hear you."

"Ness… you act like they can't hear me even when I'm whispering."

"I know… but we need to keep the "illusion"."

"I really hate Edward." – Jacob was shaking his head as if in disapproval but his face read amusement. I heard my dad growl from the distance, obviously not in the house but still able to hear everything. Jacob rolled his eyes at me.

"One day, we'll just up and leave this place and be alone for a while… what do you say?"

"Um… how about now… today!!! Let's just leave Jacob… you can stop with the whole patrolling and I won't go to school and we'll have a day all to ourselves!!!" – I really missed spending time with him, at least the amount I was used to, and I hated knowing he was out there in danger's way while I sat at home impotent and concerned. I had a History exam today and whole bunch of Literature and Sociology papers to turn in, but I didn't care; all I wanted was to escape the horrible reality that somehow we were in danger and that somehow I could lose him.

"Ness… I was joking."

"I know… but _I'm _not. I barely see you anymore and I'm always worried about your safety… please, just for today, can't we play hooky?"

"Ness, don't you have that big History exam today?" – I knew he was going to try and persuade me by appealing to the "good student" side in me, but it was definitely not going to work. My mind was set; all I had to do now was change his.

"Yeah, but I can say I got sick or something and Mrs. Welsh will have to let me take it another day."

"Ness, you know I love to fool around and everything, but we can't drop everything… I can't ask my pack to be responsible and run patrols if I'm off playing hooky with you."

"You know what? That really pisses me off Jacob. From what mom tells me, you used to be pretty reckless with her… who knows what else you were with her." – I whispered that last part, because it bothered me, because as much as I know now the extent of their relationship and am secure in mine, it's still not pleasant to know that your mom was another woman in your boyfriends life. Jacob smiled when I said this and I hated him for it, because his smile always makes me forget what I was saying and distracts me from getting what I want.

"You're jealous of Bella? Stinky Bella?"

"She wasn't stinky before." – My response came out like a child throwing a fit.

"Ness, weren't you the one that almost ripped my head off a few months back for taking things too lightly?" – Dammit. He had a point. But that was different; it wasn't so much that he was taking things lightly as much as the fact that he was dismissing my feelings and worries. I guess men are right… women are really complicated. I knew he was right but I was still pissed off; I wasn't being rational, because feelings rarely are.

"Fine… whatever… save your recklessness for someone else." – I crossed my arms and looked away.

"Ness… I was reckless with Bella because I didn't love her the way I love you, I was stupid and irresponsible and she got hurt plenty of times; one scratch on you baby and I'd simply die. Why do you think your dad hated my guts… he's never been reckless with Bells and I came along and simply didn't give a damn, because I didn't love her enough."

Again, he was making all the sense in the world; but I still didn't like it. The more I thought about it the more unfair it seemed that my mom got to experience that side of Jacob and that I never would. I couldn't shake of my jealousy, because mom had had the best of both worlds: her soul mate that would always be careful and protective of her and her best friend who she could be careless with, run away with. I wanted that… but not from anyone else, I wanted both things from Jake. The fact that he had said yes to any of her dangerous requests and wouldn't say yes to my simple "let's play hooky" plea, really angered me.

He was looking at me intently as I tried to calm myself, knowing I had failed miserably in persuading him and was already late in getting ready for school. I could feel a lump in my throat, but I faked composure, embarrassed by my immature thoughts. He was right and I was wrong, and being completely silly. So I got up from the bed and hurried into my closet, still on the brink of tears… irrational uncalled-for tears.

"I need to start getting ready… I'll just take a quick shower and then you can drive me to school."

"Ness… you ok, I thought you would argue more." – Jacob called from the bed, obviously unable to read my emotions.

"It's fine." – I said this a second before I closed the bathroom door shut.

**Jacob's POV**

Nessie was acting strange ever since the day she wanted to skip school and run away with me. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I knew it wasn't good. I couldn't tell if she either was angry at me, or offended, or hurt or absolutely nothing. Whenever I asked if everything was ok she'd simply nod and kiss me, a fireproof was of shutting me up and changing the subject.

A couple of times throughout the week I asked Embry to cover for me on patrol, hoping the extra time together might cheer her up; but she had simply said on both occasions _"poor Embry… that means he won't rest in between shifts… next time just go"_. I couldn't understand her, one minute she's upset that I won't skip patrols to be with her, and the next, she's actually telling me to go and leave her.

"_Oh God, if I have to listen to any more of your analysis of Nessie's feelings, or attitude, or state of mind, or mood or whatever the hell you imprinters obsess about, I swear I'll through your ass off a cliff!!!."_

"_Come on Leah… leave him alone… he can't help it… none of us can."_

"_Was I talking to you… preschool stalker?" _– I could sense the acid in her remark towards Quil, I could also see that she was running close to the area were Sam lives, which probably explained her mood.

"_I'm not some drama queen like Nessie… don't think you have me figured out Jake."_

"_Whatever, sorry Leah… I'll try not to think about her."_

"_I'm over Sam… stop thinking those things."_ – Her tone sounded fierce but the emotions that I could read up off her were sadness and withdrawal. That's the thing about the "pack mind", everything just shows through and infects everyone else.

"_Come on guys, let's not fight… we've only got a few miles to go, let's just keep it cool."_

"_Fine Quil… sorry about the preschool comment." _– Leah really didn't sound or seem sorry, but at least she apologized; _that_ was a step up.

We continued with the patrol, all of us quiet except for the thoughts we could read off one another. Quil was thinking about Clair, surprisingly. Leah was still pissed that I thought Sam still had an influence on her moods. And I tried not to think about Nessie, but failed miserably.

"_Take her flowers."_- Leah thought, still a little bit annoyed but mostly warming up to me, like she always does.

"_You think?"_

"_Yep… when mom and dad used to fight, she'd get so angry she'd kick him out of the house…_

"_Now I know where you get your temper."_

"_Shut up… I'm talking… anyway… he would always bring her flowers and just at the sight of daddy holding a big bouquet, she'd melt right away and the fight would be over."_

"_Well, we're not exactly fighting… I'm not even sure if she really is upset, maybe it's not even about me."_

"_Couldn't hurt though… at least it'll cheer her up, no matter what."_

"_Ok, thanks Leah… I'll see you tomorrow."_

"_Good luck Jake."_

"_Good luck man." –_ Thought Quil as he phased back, as did Leah, leaving me alone in my wolf form. I ran through the forest looking for the prettiest flowers I could find, but somehow nothing seemed beautiful enough for Nessie. I knew I was wasting valuable time, time when I could be with her, so I started running back to the cottage. I was getting closer when I spotted them, a cluster of wild flowers I'd never seen before, they were small with a bunch of really weird looking misshapen petals; the outer ones were purple while the inside ones turned a shade of pink with yellow highlights. The flowers were perfectly pretty and girly but somewhat odd and unruly, just like my Nessie. I phased back to human form and started picking them until I had the size of bouquet I wanted; so I quickly headed toward the cottage, my heart quickening its pace at the prospect of finally seeing her.

I was only a few feet away from the cottage when Edward came walking out of the front door.

"Hey."

"Good evening Jacob." – Edward responded, nodding in a very solemn way. He could really get on my nerves… the smug leech.

"There is nothing _smug_ about having good manners."

"You act like I'm some sort of god damn stranger… _that's_ smug."

"Alright… how about… Hey dude, what's up?" – He said it like he was some sort of news reporter reading from a teleprompter. I couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"You're getting old man… when were you born again? The middle ages?"

"1900 is _not_ the middle ages… did you learn nothing in school?"

"Ok pops… enough of this… where's my Nessie?"

"She's not here; she wasn't feeling well so she convinced me to let her go to New York with Alice. She's been dying to take Nessie on a shopping spree and since tomorrow is Friday, I decided it would be alright to let her skip one day of school."

"What the hell!!! She just left without saying anything? And what do you mean "she wasn't feeling well"? Why wasn't I told about this? Is she sick, is she going to be alright? Dammit Edward, when is she coming back?!!!" – I was yelling at the top of my lungs, half angry and half scared and panicked. Edward as always remained calm and completely indifferent to my rage, like the smug leech didn't think I would be capable of hurting him. I was capable of anything when it came to Nessie.

"I'm sure of that Jacob."

"Would you stop reading my thoughts and start answering my questions!!!? Where the hell's Bella anyway… I'd like a word with her!!!"

"She has nothing to do with this… if anything she tried to convince Nessie to call you before leaving."

"What? It was Nessie the one that didn't want to tell me?" – The idea hit me like a blow to the stomach, and it didn't help that it was Edward the one delivering it.

"Start talking leech." – I said it through clenched teeth, just about ready to tear his throat out.

"Calm down Jacob… it's not that bad, trust me."

"I don't… just spill it." – I was lying of course, because when it came down to it, I would probably trust him with my life.

"She didn't want to call you because she knew once she spoke to you she wouldn't be able to leave, so she's calling you once they land. She just wanted to take a break, have some fun with Alice and forget about this whole werewolf thing that has her more worried than anyone else."

"When's she coming back?" – What Edward said put me at ease, although I was still panicking about when I'd be able to see her again.

"They're coming back first thing Sunday morning."

"I can't believe this… I can't believe she'd do this to me."

"I'm sure she didn't mean any harm… just wanted to get away for a bit."

"Get away from me you mean."

"Of course not."

I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. I was overreacting; she was fine and just in need of some vacation, that's all. Even though I repeated this over and over in my brain, I still felt like this had something to do with her strange behavior this past week.

"About that…" – Even though I hated to have Edward read my thoughts, I overlooked it because it seemed he knew something about Ness' behavior.

"You know something… you know what's been bothering her?"

"Jacob, I'm a mind reader… of course I know."

"Ok, there's no need to get smug again… just tell me."

"She's jealous of you and Bella. I knew that whole thing would come up again… women, they can't let anything go." – Edward was relaxed and talking as if we were a bunch of old ladies chit chatting. I on the other hand felt horrible.

"Why? She knows it was nothing, she knows I love her!!!"

"Yes, she does… it's not like that. Once she found out about you and Bella, and made her peace with it, she started asking Bella about that time in your lives. She loves you so much, she wanted to know everything about you; so Bella told her about the idiotic and irresponsible things the two of you did when I was gone." – Only when he remembered that period of time did Edward's voice change and become resentful, even bitter.

"This is about me not wanting to take a day off, isn't it?"

"Ah Jacob, there is so much of Bella in Nessie. She's temperamental, she wants what she wants."

"But, I can't treat her like I treated Bella, because I love her too much… you do understand, don't you?"

"More than you know… I suspect that you now understand why I hated your carelessness toward my Bella."

"What I don't understand is why you didn't beat my sorry ass."

"Believe me… I wanted to." – Edward smiled but it was a menacing smile, the kind that lets you know he's thinking about all the sadistic things he had wanted to do; it sort of creeped me out.

"Um… where's Bella?" – I felt like a child asking for his mother. Edward chuckled when I asked, probably reading my uneasy expression.

"She's at the big house. So, what are you going to do?"

"This weekend? Curl up in a ball in my room and wait for Ness to come back." – Edward laughed again, thinking I was joking… but I wasn't.

"I know you're not joking… what's funny is how similar we are."

"Please Edward, don't compare us… it _really_ creeps me out." - He laughed again, but again, I wasn't joking… or maybe just a little.

"What should I do?" – I felt stupid and vulnerable by asking him this, but I was willing to put myself in that position if it meant that I could make Nessie feel better. I know how messed up I'd feel if I felt someone new her better than me; if I knew that there was a part of her that she hid from me, no matter how wrong it could be.

"Jacob… you're talking to the master of "careful"… I have no idea. I still fuss over Bella and she's practically indestructible."

"So you're telling me that after a century of being alive, you got nothing for me?"

"Nope… but I'm sure you'll work it out." – The leech was holding out on me, I knew it. Maybe he was simply torturing me or just enjoyed to watch me struggle, whatever the reason, I've never known him to _not_ know what to do. I was really getting pissed off at him and frustrated; here I was standing like an idiot with a bunch of flowers while Nessie was miles away with hyperactive Pixie, she probably wasn't even going to miss me. Just the thought of spending an entire weekend without her burn a hole in my chest.

"We should head to the big house… Nessie just called." – The sound of her name brought me back from my thoughts. I was feeling so horrible I didn't even listen to the phone ringing half a mile away in the big house. Edward and I hurried and a second later we were entering through the front door.

Bella was lying down on the living room couch with the phone to her ear.

"He just walked in honey… I love you, call me tomorrow, ok?" – Bella smiled at me and passed the phone. I took in a deep breath before I spoke.

"Ness?" – My voice came out hoarse.

"_Jakey… are you ok?"_ – No. But I couldn't say that to her, so I put on a brave face, or at least voice.

"Yeah baby, are you in New York yet?" – Stupid question considering she said she'd call once she arrived.

"_Yes, we're driving toward the hotel right now, Alice rented a car… so…"_

"So why didn't you tell me?" – I couldn't help it, once I was able to talk to her, my betrayed feelings came back and I needed to express them. Bella and Edward were right there, but I didn't care; I was beyond wanting privacy at this moment.

"_I… I just needed to get away, take my mind of things."_

"You mean get away from me." – I couldn't hide my hurt feelings.

"_No!!! Please Jake… I just needed to clear my head; it's not a big deal… I love you, leaving was one of the hardest things. Please understand baby." – She'd never called me "baby" before; I really liked it, although I couldn't fully appreciate it because I was so upset. _

"Don't lie to me Ness… you just left me; and for no good reason."

"_Jake… I didn't leave you… Alice has been dying to bring me to New York… I'm sorry I didn't tell you, I should have… I didn't think… please don't be mad at me." _– She sounded so sorry and worried that I quickly forgot about my own anger.

"It's ok Nessie… I'm not mad… I just got worried that maybe you didn't want to be with me anymore."

"_Jake, how can you even think that? I love you more than anything; don't say things like that… I… I'm coming home right now..."_ – I heard Nessie say to Pixie "drive back"; I heard Pixie moan and then tired screeching. I felt relieved because the prospect of spending three days without Ness was daunting. I also felt guilty for ruining her trip with Pixie, for not being supportive or understanding, for not putting her needs above my own. I couldn't do that.

"Ness… don't do that, I'm ok, really. I just got all crazy because you didn't tell me… I understand you need a break from all this craziness… tell Pixie to turn around again, go shopping, have fun, I'll be here when you get back."

"_Jake… are you sure? I can't have fun if you're not feeling alright."_

"Yes, I'm sure… don't worry baby… just bring me something back alright."

"_What do you want?"_

"Mmmm… I don't know… surprise me." – She giggled, probably thinking I was implying something naughty.

"_Ok, I'll do my best… I love you Jakey… I'll probably cut my trip short, ok?"_

"Whatever you want baby, just promise me you'll have fun."

"_What will you do?"_ – I remember what I had said to Edward about curling up in a ball; apparently so did he, because the leech let out a chuckle.

"Um… with patrols and Embry wanting to hang out, I'll probably keep busy." – Busy yes, happy… no. Apparently I'm not such a bad actor because Nessie bought it. After she said goodbye to me like a thousand times, and "_I love you"_ even more, we hung up; the dial tone on the end of the headphone reminding me of the distance between us.

Bella walked over to me and gave me a hug. It wasn't very pleasant, considering she doesn't smell that good, her skin is icy cold and her entire body is hard as a rock, but at least it was comforting.

"I know how you feel Jake… but she'll be back before you know it. Do you want me to cook you something… your favorite meat loaf?"

"No thanks Bells, I'm not hungry… I'm going home."

"Jake, when have you ever _not_ been hungry? Come on, stay a while."

"I can't, sorry Bells… I just want to go to bed." – The prospect of sleeping without Nessie was not pretty, but I needed to face it and get it over with.

I left the big house and phased, maybe if I ran a bit I'd get tired enough to go right to sleep. I could only hope.

I had already run about 20 miles when I felt Seth phase.

"Jake!!!"

"Seth, what's wrong? Your patrol isn't for another hour."

"Something happened… something bad… you need to get to La Push now!!!" – An image of Leah sprawled up in a bed came into Seth's mind, along with terrible concern for his sister. I turned around and started heading towards the Rez as fast as my paws would take me.

"What happened Seth… is she alright? Is she hurt?"

"I'm not sure… something attacked her… she can't remember what it was… she had blood all over her… mom found her passed out on our front porch."

"Is she healing?"

"Yeah… most of her wounds have already closed… she was conscious for a while but then she passed out again and hasn't awoken yet. Jake, please tell me she'll be alright." – I felt bad for the kid, Leah and his mom was the only thing he had left.

"Don't worry kid… Leah's strong, she's one of the strongest girls I know… just head home, I'm coming."

Seconds later I was making my way into Leah's bedroom. It was really crowded; Sue was sitting to her right holding her hand. Embry, Seth and Quil were standing in the entrance, just staring at Leah's pale face. Charlie was standing behind Sue with his hands on her shoulders. I was surprised to see Sam amongst the visitors; he looked horrible, not at all composed like he usually is. I didn't know how to act; this was my Beta for crying out loud, I was responsible for her, how could I let this happen? I slowly walked over to her and analyzed her wounds. Seth was right, they were healing, not as quickly as they normally would but enough that in a couple of hours there would be no trace of them. Her skin was still stained with blood and her eyelids looked dark; I'd never seen her so vulnerable, so weak; I wanted to throw Sam out of the room, because it wasn't right for him to see her this way, she wouldn't want it.

Sue looked at me with tears in her eyes. – "Jacob, please tell me she'll be alright."

Before I could answer her, Leah stirred in the bed and slightly opened her eyes. I moved closer and she reached out to hold my hand. Her eyes focused on mine and all I could see was panic, her heart beating faster by the second. She opened her mouth and tried to talk but nothing came out except for a soft heave, so I moved even closer as to listen better. She opened her mouth again and spoke, her voice so low that only the wolves in the room would be able to hear it.

"Jacob…"

"Leah, who did this to you?"

"They… they looked human…"

"Werewolves? Vampires?"

"I don't know… I don't know Jacob."

And with that, she closed her eyes again and fell sound asleep. Little by little all the people in her room left, leaving only Sam and me. Sam cleared his throat and spoke.

"I'd like to stand watch on her tonight." – Out of nowhere, I felt angry at him. How dare he act like he still cared when I've seen firsthand all the pain he's caused her. Seeing Leah like that, so hurt and weak in bed, made me feel overly protective towards her. Even though she can really piss me off and even though she's a bad tempered pain in my ass, she's still my second in command and one of the few people I'd trust my life with. I got up from the bed and faced Sam.

"Go back to Emily." – I basically spat out the words.

"That's not fair Jacob."

"I agree, it's not; it's not fair to Leah to have you waltzing around here like you actually care, so just leave, she's in good hands." – Sam looked really offended but he didn't say anything else, just turned around and headed out.

I went back to sit by Leah's side and before I knew it, I dozed off. My dreams where of Nessie, running though the forest wearing my favorite green dress, with her curls falling wildly on her shoulders. I was chasing after her, not able to get close enough to touch her; she was giggling and turning to smile at me, and no matter how hard I ran, I just couldn't get to her. I knew this was a dream, because Ness would always let me catch her; and even though Nessie was far away from me now, I knew she'd come back and I'd be able to ease her jealousy. All I had to do was live through this horrible weekend.

**Sorry it took me so long to update, I've been super busy with work. Your reviews mean a lot, I even go back to re-read my previous chapters just to see what you're talking about, it's really fun!!! Keep them coming!!! Tell me what you think is going to happen!!!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 15**

**Jacob's POV**

When I woke up, I half expected to be lying in bed with Nessie, like always, thinking that the horrible events that happened the day before where just a bad dream. Unfortunately, the moment I opened my eyes I realized the veracity of the events. I wasn't in Nessie's arms or bed, I was sitting rather uncomfortably on a chair next to Leah.

"Jacob… you didn't have to spend the night."

"I wanted to, you looked really bad yesterday."

"Let me rephrase that… why the hell did you stay over?!!! I couldn't rest properly with you saying _"Nessie"_ every five minutes!!!" – Yep, Leah was definitely feeling better.

"Sorry… I didn't know I talk in my sleep."

"I wanted to kill you… I'm surprised your little "half and half" has never thrown you out of bed… or maybe she just likes the sound of her own name." – Leah sat up on her bed to get a better look at me. – "Jake… you look like crap."

"I know… it's hard to sleep without her."

"Then why the hell did you stay?!!! You could have snuggled up with your little weirdo and I could have had a good night sleep without hearing her name the whole time."

"She's not here… she went to New York."

"Oh… sorry."

"That's ok Leah… how are you feeling?" – I got up from the chair and moved towards her bed, sitting so that I was facing her. She definitely looked better, the color returning to her face.

"Good… stronger."

"I need you to tell me everything Leah."

"Ok. After our patrol, I went for a walk… I went past our perimeter, I know I probably shouldn't have, but I was just wandering. I caught a scent… something repulsive… I started tracking it until it just disappeared… a few minutes later I ran into tree people… or at least I thought that's what they were." – Leah seemed to be struggling to remember.

"What did they look like? Where they the ones that smelled bad?"

"No… they smelled fine, like normal humans. There were two women and a man, they looked like in their early thirties, kind of scruffy, like they were homeless or something. They… they asked me something, something about the lake, where they could find it."

"And then what?"

"Something came up behind me… Jacob… I didn't even see it coming, or hear it, or smell it or anything." – She seemed frustrated with herself, seemed almost ashamed.

"Then what?"

"It bit me hard on the neck. It was horrible, I felt my body start to go numb… it happened so fast I couldn't even phase. The three people started moving around me… it was all a blur, they began to bite me."

"Did they turn into werewolves?"

"I don't know… I couldn't really see them… they were growling though."

"How did you escape, why didn't they kill you?"

"There was a growl, it sounded like an order; they stopped attacking me for a second… I don't know where I got the strength, but I phased. I just ran, ran as fast as I could; I could feel them behind me but I just kept running. They stopped chasing me once I reached our perimeter."

"And you didn't see anything else?"

"No, I'm sorry Jake… the first bite had something, something that numbed me, disconcerted me."

"If you saw the tree people again, would you be able to recognize them?"

"I think I could… the women were brunettes, ashy skin and really dark eyes, the man was tall, ashy skinned as well, with dreadlocks. I remember their scent, maybe we could track them."

"Yeah, but right now you need to get some rest… can I check your wounds?"

"Sure." – I lifted her shirt up and began to examine the bites. There was only a faint pink outline of where the gashes used to be. This time I was able to count the injuries; she had two bites on her neck, four around her stomach and another two on her legs. I thought of Nessie as I scanned Leah's hurt body, because they have a similar built: they're both tall and thin and muscular. I imagined what it would be like if it where Nessie's wounds the ones I was surveying. She was crazy if she wanted me to be reckless and impulsive with her, there was no way.

"How do they look?"

"Good… you can barely see them anymore."

"So… Sam was here." – She wasn't asking me, she was simply stating it.

"Yep."

"I heard what you said to him… unless I was dreaming."

"Yeah, sorry, maybe I overreacted."

"No, overreacting would be to phase and rip his eyes out… that would have been very pleasant… but what you said was good too." – Leah smiled at me and I had forgotten just how pretty she is, something always overlooked because of her bad temper and chopped off hair.

"So… what did you do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Nessie's in New York… so I'm figuring you did something to piss her off. Didn't you take her flowers like I said?"

"Yeah, but she was already gone when I got there. I don't know Leah… apparently she's upset because she wants me to be impulsive and reckless and adventurous with her, but I can't."

"Why the hell not?" – I didn't expect that question, wasn't it obvious?

"Because I love her… I mean… I have to protect her, not put her in harm's way."

"Jacob… you're such a stupid dog sometimes… how the hell is she going to get hurt by running around with you? She's a freaking vamp!!!"

"I… but… I... she's only half vampire!!!" – Leah rolled her eyes at me.

"You know… girls want a partner in crime… not a freaking babysitter." – She was making all the sense in the world. The problem was; _that _had been the basis of our relationship from the beginning. I was her protector and she had been my little girl from the start. It wasn't like Bella, it would never be like Bella, because she had been my friend first, not the love of my life first, like Nessie.

As if on cue, my cell phone vibrated. Just reading her name on the screen gave me butterflies.

"Hello puppy."

"You sound cheerful."

"That's what an entire morning of shopping will do to you. How are you, you sound tired?"

"Yeah… we had a little incident here."

"What do you mean? Are you ok? Did something happen to my parents? Is it the werewolves?" – I could sense her panic even on the phone.

"Everything's ok baby, nothing's happened… well, something happened, but it's ok now."

"What?"

"Leah was attacked… she can't remember exactly what happened or what attacked her… but she's alright now, she's healed."

"Where you with her? Where you attacked too?" – Again, I could sense the panic from her voice.

"No… she was alone."

"Oh no Jacob… that could have been you!!! I'm coming home right now… I'm so sorry I left. Tell Leah I say hi, tell her I hope she's felling better. I'll call you once I get a flight back… to let you know the landing time, would you pick me up at the airport?"

"Sure Ness… but are you sure you want to come back early?" – Just knowing that the things that attacked Leah were around the area made me very uneasy. For the first time in my life, I actually wanted Ness far away.

"Yes, I'm sure… I want to be with you through this. I'll call you, love you… bye."

We hung up and Leah rolled her eyes when she saw my sad face.

"You're such a whiny girl."

I gave Leah a dirty look and she simply smiled at me… her evil smile.

"Ok… so you should get dressed… we're going to go see Carlisle."

"What?!!!"

"I want him to look at you… it's kind of late for him to check the bites but maybe he can run a blood test and find something."

"Jacob Black, you're insane if you think I'm letting the bloodsucking doc put his hands on me!!!"

"Don't you want to know more about why the bites numbed you?"

"I don't give a flying fuck if it means that leech is going to play doc with me!!! How can you even suggest that? I'm not going anywhere near that house!!!"

"Leah, don't make me go Alpha on you and give you an order." – I tried to make my tone as threatening as possible, but Leah's hatred towards vampires was more powerful than her obedience to me.

"I'd like to see you try!!! What the hell Jacob? Not only did I almost get killed, now you want to torture me like this?" – She was shaking now, obviously really upset. I felt bad for even suggesting the Alpha thing.

"Ok, ok… calm down Leah… I'm sorry. Listen, how about this: I'll draw blood from you and take the sample to Carlisle, what do you say?" – Leah was looking at me, still slightly shaking, analyzing my proposal. She had a skeptical look on her face, like maybe I was tricking her or something. After a while of just looking directly at me, she inhaled and nodded.

**Nessie's POV**

My stomach was churning from the nervousness. The weekend I decide to take a trip and leave Jacob alone, _this_ happens. I really needed to get over my silly tantrum and just accept that Jacob will never be reckless with me, accept it and appreciate it. I was behaving like a spoiled child and I knew that my mood recently was stressing him out, so I needed to stop.

Aunt Alice and I were already on board. She had paid off some people to let us take their place on the flight so we could get home faster. It was the funniest thing to see the couple, husband and wife, being persuaded by Alice to surrender their tickets and leave New York a day later. The tactics she uses on every member of our family were just as effective on total strangers. After a few minutes of serious convincing, the couple walked away with Broadway tickets, a reservation and paid meal at a fancy restaurant and eight hundred dollars.

The flight seemed to take place in slow motion, like the pilot was in no mood to arrive in Seattle. Alice didn't seem worried at all; she was talking away excitedly as if nothing had happened. In between our conversation about the stores we needed to visit next time and the presents we had bought for everyone, I thought of Jacob. I couldn't wait to see him, couldn't wait to tell him I was sorry for leaving, couldn't wait to kiss him and make sure he was ok.

I exhaled when the plane landed and tapped my foot loudly as we waited for everyone to get their luggage and walk out; humans are too damn slow. Aunt Alice and I walked as fast as we could without drawing too much attention to ourselves, so before I knew it, we arrived at the exit and sure enough, there was Jacob, _my_ Jacob.

He had flowers in his hand and looked so darn cute that if not for the dozens of people walking around, not to mention my aunt next to me, I would have taken him right then and there.

He smiled when he saw me, causing me to burst into a run. I threw myself at him almost making him to drop the flowers, wrapped my legs around his waist and simply kissed him, not caring at all that we were in a public place. I heard Alice giggling behind me but didn't pay much attention; all I could see, feel and think was Jacob. We broke apart but remained inches from each other, Jacob still holding me up.

"Wow… someone's happy to see me." – He was slightly blushing when he said this, making me want him even more.

"I missed you… I'm never leaving you again."

"You're going to have to make it up to me, you know." – He wiggled his eyebrows at me and I realized just how much I'd missed him.

"Have anything in mind?"

"Yes… but I'm thinking of a much less crowded scenario." – He smiled his half smile and again I forgot we were in a public place and continued to kiss him.

"He-hem, I'm sorry to interrupt you two, but… don't we have some pressing matters… like… I don't know… Leah's attack?!!!"

I got down from Jacob, realizing Aunt Alice was right.

"Sorry."

"It's ok Nessie… thank God I'm not as squeamish as Rose or Edward, because after that kiss they'd both be either puking or pissed off." - She was teasing us, of course, but I still blushed at what she said.

We went to the parking lot, got in Jacob's car and started driving home. Aunt Alice immediately got on the phone with Uncle Jazz and talked to him the entire way back. I was sitting next to Jacob up front, looking at the beautiful flowers he'd given me.

"You like them? They're kind of withered because I picked them yesterday."

"I love them… listen Jacob… I've been acting like a big spoiled baby; I got this stupid idea in my head and wouldn't let it go, but I know it's not right for me to ask certain things of you… so I'm dropping it."

He didn't say anything, which really surprised me. He just nodded and continued driving. I couldn't read him; I wasn't sure if he was just worried about Leah and didn't pay attention to what I was saying or if he was mad at me, or worst, simply hadn't even noticed my mood this past week. I couldn't believe that he would be so oblivious to not notice that something was bothering me. If he were mad, he'd say something… wouldn't he? Maybe he just didn't want to get in a fight or maybe he was too hurt to say anything. I kept looking at him as he silently drove the car, trying to find some hint or trace of emotion in his face, but nothing. I really hated when he did this and not knowing what he was feeling was making me anxious. He must have sensed my anxiety because he reached over and grabbed my hand, interlacing our fingers.

"So… what did you bring me?" – I could tell he was trying to lighten the mood, so I went along with it.

"It's a surprise… you'll just have to wait and see." – He laughed when I said this and whatever worry I had that he was angry went away.

"Mmmm… can I eat it?" – I laughed when he said this. Leave it to Jacob to always be thinking about food. I turned to him and shook my head.

"Can I… wear it?" – He was getting closer so I just nodded.

"Will I look sexy in it?" – He wiggled his eyebrows and again I laughed.

"You look sexy in everything." – I wasn't teasing when I said this. His response was to turn back his eyes on the road and bite his lip. After a few minutes of silence, he continued our little game.

"Don't tell me it's a pair of shoes."

"Nope, you don't wear shoes."

"Pants?"

"Nope, cause you have to take them off when you phase." – I blushed a little when I said this, remembering he knew I'd seen him take them off once. He blushed to and turned to look at the road again. This new habit of his of blushing was really irresistible and I knew I'd have to come up with new and interesting ways of getting him to do it.

"So… it's something I can leave on?" – He was getting too close and I didn't want to ruin the surprise, so I just sat back and folded my arms.

"Come on Ness… I know I'm close… what is it?"

"Just wait."

A few minutes later we were parking in front of the big house and went inside. Jacob seemed to know something I didn't because he went directly upstairs and into my grandpa's study. I follow him in, only to find grandpa sitting behind his desk and mom and dad sitting in the sofa next to it.

"Well?" – Jacob was looking at grandpa in expectance, he didn't even bother to say hi… or maybe he had already been here. I didn't like not knowing what was going on. I turned to look at dad who just winked at me, as if telling me not to worry.

"Why don't you sit down Jacob? Hello Nessie honey." – I smiled at grandpa but didn't leave Jacob's side.

"I'd rather stand… just tell me doc."

"Alright… I ran the blood test. It's a shame you didn't bring her here right away, after the attack; I could have done a more thorough evaluation."

"There was no way she was letting me bring her here."

"I understand that… well… I know what paralyzed Leah. I found vampire venom in her blood."

"What?!!!" – Momma, Jake and I all basically screamed it out; only dad remained calm upon the statement, probably already knowing it was coming.

"Vampires did this to her?" – Jacob's voice was fierce, a definite hatred undertone when he said the word "vampire". I saw my momma flinch when Jake spoke, as if his words had hit her straight across the face. I didn't feel so good either.

"Calm down Jacob." – Dad's voice wasn't soothing; it was an order, a command.

"Don't even try it Edward… Leah almost died!!!"

"It wasn't vampires." – Grandpa was very calm, even though the atmosphere was dead tense.

"Right… because coming across freaking vampire venom is so easy!!!"

"Listen to me Jacob… the amount of vampire venom I found in her blood was a small amount, far too small to come from a vampire. If a vampire had bitten Leah… I'm sorry to say… she'd be dead. And by the amount of bites you say she had… what was it? Eight?" – Jacob nodded.

"She would have had a rather large amount of venom in her system. She would not have survived one vampire bite… let alone eight."

"Then how the hell did the venom end up in her system?"

"I don't know… perhaps they injected her with it."

"No… she distinctly felt a bite… she didn't have any marking in her body that suggested an injection."

"And you examined her thoroughly?"

"Yes." – I don't know why, but I felt jealous all of a sudden. Had Jacob seen Leah naked? Of course I knew this to be true, considering all the phasing they do together. But something about him being up close and _really_ looking at her like that really bothered me. I saw dad smirk at my thoughts.

"The mark of an injection could have healed rather quickly." – Grandpa was still calm, looking at Jacob with concern and compassion in his eyes.

"It was a bite… Leah was specific. It was only after the bite that she felt disoriented… she didn't feel anything else. Can't a vampire regulate the amount of venom he infuses into someone?"

"No… we produce so much venom… that even if we tried to control it, a fairly good amount would go through… much more than what Leah had."

"Wait… what about the venom you found in the werewolf's arm… wasn't it a small amount too, a mere trace?" – Momma was looking at grandpa, she seemed rather put off by Jacob for some reason and wouldn't look at him; or maybe she was just afraid that it might have really been a vampire, and felt guilty.

"You're right." – Grandpa was looking down, deep in thought.

"Ok… so if Tanya or whoever was able to bite that thing and only let go of a bit of venom… couldn't the same happen with Leah?" – Jacob was still fuming.

"That's not what I meant Jacob." – Momma finally glanced at him with cold eyes. I wasn't used to seeing mom look at him like that; I suddenly felt angry too, not at Jacob, but at her.

Jacob took his eyes off grandpa and looked at mom.

"Then what?"

"What if… what if the venom in the creature's blood didn't come from the outside… but was there already?" – Jacob scoffed at mom.

"Seriously Bella… how far would you go to protect your beloved bloodsuckers?"

"Don't speak to her that way." – Dad wasn't half as upset as Jacob and mom seemed to be, but his voice was hard and again, sounded like an order. I knew this would make Jake snap, so I braced myself.

"I can speak to her however the hell I want!!! Come on Bella… answer me? You really don't care if any of us get killed… just as long as your leeches are fine. They attacked Leah and you just sit there making excuses and stupid assumptions, protecting the entire vampire population, like always."

"That's not fair Jacob, you're my family."

"Fuck that… if it wasn't for Nessie, you wouldn't give a damn."

"Jacob, please… I know that what happened has you upset, but you have to calm down… I think Bella might be right." – Grandpa was standing up now, commanding all the authority he could. Jacob quickly backed down from his rant, taking in a deep breath and taking my hand in his, as if holding it would keep him steady. Grandpa smiled kindly at him, upon watching his reaction.

"I never asked Tanya or any of the Denali's if they had bit the creature… I simply assumed that had happened upon discovering the venom in its blood. I was too preoccupied with unraveling its DNA that I didn't stop to think that the amount of venom was not enough for it to have come from a bite."

"You need to call them." – Dad was saying it at the same time as grandpa was already picking up the phone.

His conversation with Tanya was short, to the point. I felt Jacob inhale when grandpa hung up. I hadn't realized it, but up until them, I was holding my breath as well. Grandpa looked around the room at all of us before speaking.

"We have a problem. None of the Denalis recall biting any of the creatures… and vampires usually have a good memory. If we rule that out, it means the venom was naturally running in the creature's veins, which means they can produce it, like us."

We all stood there, silent. A million ideas where popping into my head, making it far too chaotic to focus on just one and understand what this meant exactly. Jacob was still holding my hand but hadn't looked at me, not once. I couldn't take the silence but I didn't know what to say either.

"So…?" – Was all I could muster, but it was enough to wake everyone from their concentration.

"So they're not werewolves… so they're some kind of hybrid… so we know nothing about them." – Jacob's voice was hollow and its sound went straight to the pit of my stomach. He finally looked at me, a crease forming in between his eyebrows. – "You're leaving tonight."

**You have no idea how happy your reviews make me!!!! They light up my week, seriously…. So please, keep them coming. I want to know every single thing you think about my story!!!!! I'll try to update much sooner, promise.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 16**

**I know it's a small chapter but I couldn't wait to post it!!! I probably won't have a lot of time this week to write so I didn't want to leave you guys empty handed. This is half of the whole chapter, so I'm hoping to update by adding the second half later. Hope you like!!!**

**Nessie's POV**

I could hear mom, dad and Jacob bickering inside grandpa's study. Grandpa had long gone to find Esme and go hunting, while I was instructed to stay outside. I felt like a child, like I somehow had three parents that were fighting over who got custody of me. They were all whispering, really low, enough so that it was hard for me to make out exactly what they were saying. This really annoyed me, not only was I told to basically stay out of a conversation regarding _my own future,_ but they were also making sure I couldn't even know what was being decided. I half expected this from my parents, but never from Jacob. He had been the one that had kept imprinting a secret so I could choose my own fate, make up my own mind, not be forced; and now, he hadn't even asked me what I thought or wanted to do about this whole thing.

_Jacob: I don't want her here until we know what we're up against._

_Dad: It's not your call Jacob._

_Jacob: Like hell it is!!! You took Bella away when that psycho James was after her, Charlie had no clue._

_Mom: That was different, Charlie knew nothing about our world and couldn't protect me but we __can__ protect Renesmee._

_Jacob: Are you saying I can't?_

_Edward: Jacob, listen to reason… she's safer here with us than away by herself. We don't know what these things are after, but we have a better chance if we stick together._

_Jacob: She's not getting in the middle of this fight… I want her away._

_Mom: I'm her mother, Renesmee stays with me. Edward and I would never put her in harm's way, but she needs to stay by our side so we can protect her. Think about it Jake._

_Edward: I'm sorry Jacob, but it's final, she stays. _

_Jacob: Are you saying I have absolutely no say in this?_

_Mom: We're her parents._

_Jacob: Exactly!!! You two have each other… I only have her. She's more mine than she is yours!!!_

Jacob's words sent warmth all through my body. I was still pissed, but I couldn't really be _that _angry at him. They stopped talking, or at least I thought they did, so I stepped a bit closer to the door only to be surprised when it opened. All three of them were standing behind it. Mom's face was loving towards me, dad looked rather calm and confident, while Jake's face was expressing a complete gamma of emotions, not one of them positive. I took in a big breath and waited for either of them to speak. Of course, it was my dad the one who took over and spoke first.

"Nessie darling, we realized it's not fair to you for us to make a decision for you… so we decided it's your call. Do you want to stay or leave?" – Even though it's what I wanted, for them to not treat me like a child and for me to have say on the decision, it still surprised me and I all of a sudden had no clue what I wanted to do.

I stood there, trying to make up my mind, trying to avoid the anxious gaze of Jacob and even mom. I knew what the reasonable thing to do was, but I was afraid to say it.

"Ness?" – Jacob was looking at me with pleading eyes. I had to answer soon.

"I… I want to stay." – Jacob closed his eyes in defeat upon hearing my answer. I knew he loved me too much to contradict me, to force me the way my dad probably would have done with mom if he thought she was in danger. Mom and dad most likely sensed we needed some time to ourselves, because they left without saying a word or gloating that they had gotten their way.

Once they were gone Jacob opened his beautiful eyes.

"Please don't be mad at me Jake."

"I'm not, I could never. I should have known better, you're too stubborn to let yourself be taken care of." – He smiled at me, but his smile was full of fear and worry.

"You can still take care of me, but here, where we both belong. I can't abandon my parents and you most certainly can't abandon your pack."

"I'm afraid." – It was one of the most truthful and vulnerable things he had ever said to me. I reached over and hugged his waist, looking up at him.

"Why?"

"This is too perfect, _you_ are too perfect. I'm afraid this kind of happiness wasn't meant for me, like it's too much, like something or someone will take you away from me, because nobody deserves to have it all." – I felt like crying when he said this, because sometimes it seemed that way to me too. Ever since I had that horrible nightmare, I couldn't come to terms with the fact that Jacob could die at any given moment, that there could come a time when one of us would be missing. But I couldn't think about it; I needed to believe that things could work out, the way they had for mom and dad.

"Don't be afraid… we'll get through this… I know it… I have faith." – Jacob smiled when I said this and kissed my forehead. We hugged for an eternity until I felt something in Jacob's pocket vibrate. He sighed, pulled out his cell phone and answered. With my perfect hearing, I could make out the voice on the other side, it was Embry.

"_Hey man, Ness back yet?"_

"Yeah… how's Leah?"

"_She's feeling much better… just a few minutes ago she called me a "brainless moron"."_ – Jacob chuckled.

"Yep, she's definitely feeling better."

"_Listen… she wants to go tracking, she wants to find those things."_

"Tell her we need to know more about them… there's a complication… it could be dangerous to just rush into it."

"_You better tell her yourself Jake… she's set on going, there's no stopping this girl."_ – Jacob took in a big and annoyed breath.

"Fine, give me five minutes."

"_Make it three… she already threw a car tire at me when I told her not to go."_

Jacob hung up the phone, took me by the hand and started to walk outside. I could feel the separation again and I couldn't face it. It had been really stupid to go to New York; sure I bought a bunch of really nice stuff, but I'd missed him like crazy. And now, he was leaving to be with his pack again, and again, I'd be left behind just waiting. These past five months were really taking their toll on me.

When we reached the forest, Jake turned around to face me. I could already feel a lump forming in my throat.

"So, what did you bring me?" – He was smiling with not one trace of worry or anxiety. How does he do that?

"Um… don't you have to leave now and hurry to stop Leah?"

"Leah can wait." – I couldn't help but smile when he said this and all the excitement over his present returned to me. He smiled wider upon my reaction, making the butterflies in my stomach go crazy. I put my hand in my pocket, pulled out a small gift wrapped box and placed it in his hand.

Jacob giggled it next to his ear playfully, never breaking eye contact, as if trying to guess what was inside. Then he unwrapped it and pulled out my gift.

It was a long silver chain with dog tags attached to it. The first one had the inscription:

Jacob Ephraim Black

Alpha

"He who is brave is free."

The second tag had an inscription that read:

I belong to someone.

If lost, please return to Nessie.

As Jacob was examining the tags, I started to feel self conscious. What if he thinks the tags are cheesy? I started to worry that I've never seen him wear any kind of jewelry, no chains or rings or anything. What if he thinks wearing something around his neck is girly? He was taking an extraordinary long time reading them and I was starting to regret the whole thing. The whole idea had come to me because I'd seen this store that sold customized jewelry, and dog tags just seemed like an excellent idea, completely appropriate since Jake is kind of like a soldier and also kind of like a dog. Apart from that, I know how much I love the bracelet he gave me for Christmas when I was a kid and I thought he'd appreciate wearing something of mine like I wear something of his.

He finally looked up at me and a huge grin formed on his face.

"Ness, this is the best present anyone has ever gotten me."

"Really?" – I couldn't hide my excitement over his words. – "You're not just saying that?"

"Why would I lie? This is perfect!!! I love it!!!"

"So you'll wear them?"

"Always." – He pulled me closer and started kissing me. He was just beginning to deepen the kiss when his phone vibrated again. I pouted when he pulled back, making him laugh. He answered the phone still smiling.

"Yeah?"

"_What do you mean "yeah"? Where the hell are you? I'm waiting here like an idiot because Embry told me to wait for you!!!" _– Jacob rolled his eyes and started kissing my knuckles while Leah continued to rant over the phone.

"_I want to take those things down and all you care about is making out with little miss weirdo!!! They could be miles away by now!!! If you're not here in two minutes… I swear Jacob… "_

"Fine Leah… I'll be right there; don't get your freaking panties in a twist."

"_You're such a pig."_ – And she hung up.

"I thought I was a dog… no?" – He said that last part to me, making me giggle. Any other guy would lose his temper or be afraid upon hearing Leah's murderous rant… but not my Jacob, he can even make fun of it.

"Ok, let's go." – He said it while slipping on the silver chain; the dog tags resting on the glorious muscles of his bare chest.

"What? You're not going by yourself?" – When I said this, he swept me up from my feet and secured me to his body with just one arm.

"What? And let you get away again?"

"You don't have to worry about that… I'm never leaving you again."

"I know… but I'd much rather take some precautions… don't you think? Cuz the minute I leave… you seem to get these crazy ideas, and I'm sure as hell never sleeping without you again. Got it?"

"Got it." – He put me down and I could see mischief in his eyes.

"Wanna race? I won't even phase." – I didn't even answer, I just darted toward La Push; the rush of the leaves and the feeling of the wind in my face making me smile. Jacob was running alongside me, his figure still human but his movements fierce and animalistic. I could never get over the sight of Jacob running, so big and muscular and yet so graceful. My Jacob, my wolf: wild, fierce and free.


	17. Chapter 16, second half

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer; I do not own the Twilight series, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Chapter 16**

**This is the chapter second part of chapter 16, Hope you like!!!!**

**Jacob's POV**

I let her beat me; of course I did, because just seeing her smile upon winning was the only award I could ever want. When we got to Leah's house my entire pack was sitting on the porch, except for Leah who was walking from side to side like a lion in a cage. She scoffed when she saw Nessie, really pissing me off. I could handle her being rude to me, but never to Nessie.

"Manners Leah… you wanna be treated like a lady, behave like one." – She looked really taken aback by my comment; even Nessie looked up at me somewhat shocked, maybe because my tone was really harsh, even for a bad ass like Leah. After her initial reaction, she quickly rearranged her face from embarrassment to smugness.

"Can we go now?"

"Hold up a second… there's something you need to know. Those things produce vampire venom; that's what paralyzed you."

"What? How is that possible?" – The rest of the guys got up from the porch and went to stand next to Leah, looking at me in surprise.

"We don't know… they're probably hybrids of some sort, like half vampire half werewolf."

"That doesn't change anything… we're built to destroy vampires, aren't we? So why would some vampire venom scare us?" – Embry looked defiantly at me, as if I were questioning his capacity.

"Yeah… all I'm saying is we need to bear that in mind, be extra careful, treat them like vampires, ok?" – They all nodded in agreement.

"Ok, can we go now?" – Leah had her arms folded and looked annoyed.

"Sure." – As soon as I gave the "ok", they all left into the nearby trees to phase. I turned toward Nessie and noticed she looked anxious. I scooped her up in my arms so that we were at eye level.

"Just be careful, ok?" – She was stroking my cheek with her soft hands.

"You too."

"What do you mean "me too"? – She was frowning and half smiling at the same time, probably thinking I was teasing her or something. All I wanted to do in that moment was to take her far away, to hide her, lock her in and stand watch over her door. But she'd chosen to stay, she'd chosen to stand by her parent's and my side; and even though it would kill me to put her in harm's way, I needed to accept her as a partner, not my little girl, not my imprint, not a treasure I need to look after, but my equal.

"Well, you're coming too, right?" – Nessie's face changed from puzzlement to anticipation.

"I'm coming with you? To track those things?"

"Yeah, I need someone to watch my back." – I put her down and quickly kissed her, winking at her as I walked away to phase. I returned in wolf form to find the rest of the wolves around Nessie.

"_She's coming?"_ – Seth's thoughts were excited, as if Nessie had been given permission to go out and play with him.

"_Bad idea Jacob… she'll distract you."_ – Quil was thinking of Clair, not being able to imagine ever taking her tracking or to anything remotely dangerous. I could see in his mind that he thought I'd lost it.

"_She's coming, it's final. Leah and Embry, you start from the north; Seth and Quil, start from the south; Ness and I will take the east. Leah, show us what their scent is like." _– Leah brought back to her mind the memory of her encounter with the creatures, and we all suddenly felt their scent in our heads. Once we felt it for a minute or two, everyone took off in different directions, leaving Ness and I.

I hadn't thought about the logistics of the whole thing, there was no way I could show the scent to Ness. She was looking at me in expectance and I felt at a lost. She got closer and nuzzled her face in my fur, placing her palm on my face.

"_I'll follow you."_ – She projected, as if she'd known what I was thinking. I licked her face playfully making her giggle; the taste of her skin was delicious, but this wasn't the time for that. So I suppressed my desires and gave her a nod. And with that, we were off.

* * *

Three hours had passed and so far we'd found nothing. Leah and Embry were already making their second round, while Quil and Seth were sitting in the forest bed resting for a bit. I'd decided to take another rout and try our luck there, but I was getting nothing.

"I don't smell anything out of the ordinary." – Ness seemed to be talking almost to herself, as we continued to walk. She was about to say something else when she suddenly stopped walking. I turned to look at her and saw that she was sniffing a nearby tree.

"Come here, I smell a human." – She instructed me. I got to her side and smelled the tree she was next to. There it was… as faint as any scent I'd ever encountered, but sure enough, it was one of the scents Leah had shown us. I knew it was female, but I couldn't be certain how long ago she'd walked through here. I barked at Ness to let her know that it was the scent we were looking for.

"_We're coming!!!"_ – Both Quil and Seth got up and started running in our direction, while Leah and Embry said they'd take the other side of the rout I was on to make sure nothing got away or passed us.

Nessie and I started tracking the scent, which thankfully began to get stronger as we continued. She looked so much like a vampire that it was scary… good scary. She was completely in hunter mode, almost outrunning me whenever she got a stronger whiff of the scent. A few minutes had passed when Quil and Seth caught up to us.

"_So, seek and destroy right?"_ – Quil was making sure of the game plan, obviously excited by the prospect of a fight. I could feel Seth's heart rate increase when Quil said this.

"_Yep."_

The scent was getting so strong that I wondered why we hadn't seen her already.

"_There she is."_ – I turned to focus in the direction where Seth was looking and saw her. She was exactly like the description Leah had given me. She looked wild and dirty, long thick black hair flowing almost to her waist, with a few red braids sticking out from underneath. Her skin was ashy and dark, almost burnt. She was kneeling beside a small creek, apparently drinking water. If I didn't know better, I would swear she was human.

I didn't have to plan or coordinate the attack, our instincts just kicked in. Seth and Quil silently divided and went to take on positions on either side of her. Leah and Embry where already here and where now drawing a perimeter around us to make sure she didn't get away. I stood there waiting for my cue; stalking her while I waited for everyone to be in position. Ness silently moved away from me to take on a more advantageous spot. We'd hunted together so many times that for some reason this didn't seem so unusual.

I was just about ready to leap when the woman rapidly turned her head and darted her eyes toward me; squinting, her nostrils flared. That was it. I leaped out of my position while she stayed crouched, teeth bared and all. I didn't know what to expect, but from the human looks of her, I would have never expected what came next.

I was running towards her at full speed, my jaw aiming for her throat. "Easy kill" popped into my brain… cocky bastard. I was inches away from tackling her and ramming my body straight into her, but I missed. She moved so quickly, I barely got a glimpse of her as she twirled in the air out of position. I turned to find Seth, Quil and Nessie circling her, not allowing any escape. Seth and Quil attacked her first, but she was so fast that both times they missed. Quil finally was able to sink his teeth into her arm making her growl. I took advantage of this and bit her throat as hard as I could. She threw Quil off her arm in a single movement, making him hit a tree so hard it almost broke in two. She then kicked her leg up almost to a 90 degree angle and hit me hard on the head, so hard that the blow knocked me away from her, losing the grip my jaw had on her throat. She was standing now, not even in a defensive crouch, in the middle of us. The bloody gash I'd left on her neck closed up right before my eyes; a wound that would take us wolves about six hours to heal, cured itself in under a minute. I saw Nessie turn her eyes on me, surprised and shocked by this. I immediately regretted having brought her. The woman seemed to be enjoying this, a slight demented smile curving her lips.

We continued to attack, wounding her as much as we could; but for every injury we were able to induce, we received heavy blows that almost knocked us unconscious. And with every injury, came the miraculous cure. Nessie sprinted up and down, twirling in the air at vampire speed, pounding and kicking her wherever she could, resembling Pixie when she fights. However, her blows merely slowed down the woman; enough that we got a chance to do some damage but not enough to kill her.

She was trying to bite us, as if she knew what the venom would do to us. I saw Seth barely dodge one of her attempts, making me realize we where underprepared for this.

"_You need backup man?"_ – Embry asked, upon witnessing how close we all came to being bitten. I didn't have to answer, him and Leah came running.

At that very moment the woman launched herself at me, catching me completely off guard. I saw her sharp teeth coming right at me and knew there was no way I could dodge her. I was already bracing myself for the damage when Nessie came flying through the air, taking the blow instead of me. The sound her body made upon contact was horrible; my baby was thrown back a few dozen feet, hitting a boulder hard and collapsing next to it. Every part of my body screamed in fury; I had never wanted to kill something as much as I wanted to kill this thing. I launched myself at her with murderous rage, throwing her to the ground. I literally became an animal, sinking my teeth into her wherever I could, taking away big chunks of her flesh by mouthfuls; it tasted awful, putrid, but I didn't care. The rest of my pack joined in, including Leah and Embry.

I pulled back to survey the damage and realized the woman was looking at me, her eyes yellow and catlike, with dark slits running across them. She was smiling, smiling directly at me, the most horrible and freighting expression I had ever seen in my life. She was being killed in that very moment, her body maimed and torn apart, and yet, she was smiling. I got the eerie sensation that I was missing something, that someone was playing a sick twisted joke on me. The horrible woman finally rolled her eyes to the back of her head and her mangled body became limb. I felt my entire pack exhale in relief.

I ran toward Nessie, finding her sitting down next to the boulder she had hit, blood dripping down from her head. I hadn't noticed, but I was whimpering like a little puppy. I nuzzled her cheek and went behind the boulder to phase back. Ness had never been hurt before in my presence, or ever in her life; a heavy pressure was coming down on my heart… I hadn't protected her, my only job.

"Ness… I'm so sorry… I never should have brought you." – I said this while placing my hand over her head, pressing to stop the bleeding.

"Are you kidding…? I stopped that wacko from biting you." – She was smiling at me, which relaxed me a little; because despite everything, despite my failure, she was fine and so was I.

"I've never seen you bleed before." – I continued to feel like a jerk, but for some reason she didn't seem upset or anything with me. Lucky bastard.

"It's nothing… the side of this rock had an edge… that's all. Besides, head wounds are always bloody, even if they're small." – Ness paused and looked passed me, towards where the others were standing. – "Is she… is she dead?"

"I hope so." – I tried to smile but couldn't hide from her the uneasiness I was feeling. She placed her hand on my face and gently caressed the crease that had formed between my eyebrows.

"I'm not hurt Jake… this was my first fight, I was bound to get a little knocked around." – But it wasn't the fact that she got hurt that had me upset, it was the _reason _she got hurt.

"Ness… promise me something…" – She nodded solemnly when she realized how serious I was.

"Promise me you will never _ever_ do that again… it's my job to protect you, not the other way around. If things ever get difficult, if I'm ever in danger or hurt, I want you to run away… you understand me? I want you to leave me. Your life is more important than mine."

"Jake… I… I can't promise you that."

"You have too… if you love me… you have to." – For some reason, she had tears in her eyes. I felt bad for taking out the "if you love me" card, but I had to make sure she didn't pull a stunt like that again.

"Jake… I can't."

"Do it for me… please baby… just promise me." – She continued to soothe out my forehead, deliberating.

"Ok, I promise."


	18. Chapter 17

**I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own her characters. Just a fan having a little fun, no copyright infringement intended. **

**Chapter 17**

**Jacob's POV**

"Hey… what do you want to do?" – Quil was already in human form, standing beside me with a heavy expression. He wouldn't look at Nessie, keeping his eyes straight on me without dodging them. I could tell he thought I was crazy, reckless; I even sensed some anger radiating from him.

"Go get Edward and Carlisle… they need to see her before we burn her." – He nodded and left running with Seth at his heels.

"What's wrong with Quil…? I thought he'd be celebrating… instead he looks pissed." – Nessie's head had already stopped bleeding and she was looking as though nothing had ever happened.

Before I could answer her, Quil and Seth came back.

"They're coming… Sue told Bella about our hunting trip, we found them half way."

Quil was just finishing his sentence when Edward and Carlisle stepped into the clearing. I distinctly heard Carlisle whisper "calm down" to Edward. Great… now I was _really_ going to get killed; not that I didn't deserve it. Carlisle walked toward the corpse and began scrutinizing it, while Edward stood there watching me, his gaze fierce.

"I understand that your mental abilities are limited, I understand that you are an impulsive overconfident immature dog, I understand that you're a risk taker… but what I cannot grasp is why you would come here, looking for danger with _my_ daughter without so much as a warning to Bella and I. Please help me understand what possessed you to act alone when you have a family of vampires who can assist you." – He wasn't yelling, his voice was calm and steady, but somehow I could feel the coldness and intimidation in it. I saw Leah make a face when Edward said "family of vampires" and I knew that even though the others aren't as vocal as Leah, they were all put off by Edward's remark to me. This would forever be my eternal place; caught in between two opposite worlds, two lifelong adversaries.

"Edward… I…"

"Dad, I'm fine… you don't need to get angry with Jacob." – Nessie stood up next to me.

"You're bleeding… that's hardly _fine_. It could have been worse… this could have been a trap. Did you think of that? You _do not_ walk into battle unprepared." – His tone was harsh but it wasn't directed at Nessie, even though it was her whom he was answering to.

"Edward, I'm sorry… not for coming to look for them, because my pack has dealt with worse things, but for bringing Nessie… it… it felt like the right thing to do. I'm sorry."

"The right thing to do? I really don't understand you Jacob… a second ago you where fighting with Bella and me about taking Nessie away… and now, you bring her here to fight? You've already put one of my two loves in danger some time ago… I will not let you endanger the second, you understand?"

"It's not your call dad." – Both Edward and I turned to look at Nessie… hell, everyone standing there turned to look at her. I'd never hear her sound so grown up; it was a bit startling.

"Excuse me?"

"It's not your call… Jacob… Jacob's my mate, we're a unit… I go where he goes." – She staggered a bit upon saying this, probably because Edward looked menacing, but she was still able to say it with complete conviction. I was utterly shocked and apparently so was Edward, who strangely enough turned to look at me as if requesting back-up. It would have been hilarious if not for the gravity of the matter.

"Nessie darling… you don't know what you're saying, you're still so young."

"I'm old enough to know what I want… I told Rosalie in front of everyone: if it comes between anyone, including you and mom, and Jacob; it will always be him."

"You're being ridiculous."

"Was mom being ridiculous when she chose you over her humanity?" – Edward looked flustered at this; my Ness had never spoken to him like that. Bella's humanity was still a pretty sore subject for him; even _I_ knew not to go there.

"I understand that darling… I really do. But being with Jacob and fighting alongside him are two very different things. You're strong and agile, but you will never be a vampire… you're still so delicate, so breakable. Think about what you getting hurt would do to us."

"I… I…" – Nessie turned to look at me, apparently what Edward said had made an impact. He then turned his focus on me.

"Are you encouraging this?"

"No… I'm not… Edward's right Ness." – I couldn't look at her when I said this. – "It was wrong to bring you… "

"But… I can protect you."

"No… you can't… and you won't. Maybe you're as stubborn as Bella, maybe you won't listen to Edward… but I know you'll listen to me. Having you with me in battle will only get us both killed."

"I'm not fragile…"

"I know baby… but still… Edward's right." – For once, I couldn't give her what she wanted… for once, I had to side against her… and again, just like when I wouldn't run away with her, I would disappoint her.

I looked up a saw that she had tears in her eyes. I knew it was though for her to grow up with a family of indestructible vampires; always fussing over her, treating her like a weak little girl who needs protection. For anyone else, that kind of treatment would be welcomed; but I knew my Nessie… she was a fighter, wanting to hold her own, and it was hard to always be the baby.

"Even without being able to read her thoughts… you know her better than I do." – Edward was probably commenting on my thoughts, and for once, I didn't mind. His tone was sad, regretful.

Nessie started walking towards the forest, away from us. – "I need some time away from everyone… I'm taking a walk." – She said it without glancing back at us. Did that mean away from me too? I took a step forward but hesitated.

"Ness?"

"Yes Jacob… away from you too."

**Nessie's POV**

I'd been walking for two hours now, not going anywhere, just walking in circles. I didn't know what to think or how to feel. I didn't know why this whole thing had such an effect on me. No one was asking for anything unreasonable. It wasn't like I was being separated from Jake, or sent away, or locked up in a guarded tower. Why would I want to subject myself to the dangers of a fight, anyway? People run away from fights, people feel good when they're protected, so why was I taking this so hard?

I thought of Jake and how it had felt when he asked me to come along. It suddenly started to make sense… my feelings. Everyone in my family looks at me like some invalid, like the baby they need to take care of. For once, I thought maybe Jake could see me differently, maybe he could see me as his equal.

The fact that he had trusted me, that he had thought I was good enough and brave enough and strong enough to come with him had made me love him even more. But a few ounces of blood later, he was on dad's side and not mine. He was stating what everyone in my family had stated since the beginning: I was small and weak and something to look after. Somehow, it was even more painful coming from him.

I kept walking, trying to calm myself; telling myself that it wasn't a big deal, that I would probably react the same if I were Jacob, but for some reason, I couldn't shake it off.

After another hour of wandering, I knew he would be worried, so I decided to give it a rest and go find him. As much as I was upset with him, I still needed him; and after three hours without him, I missed him.

I arrived at the cottage, following his scent. I didn't smell him inside so I rounded the house and arrived at the garden in the back. Grandma had designed the garden herself, adding these antique wooden benches under the shade of the trees. Jacob was sitting there, his elbows resting on his knees and his head resting on his palms. He looked up when I was a few feet away, and kept his cautious eyes on me as I made my way toward him.

When I reached him, I placed my hands on his hair, as he wrapped his arms around my thighs and rested the side of his face on my upper stomach. I continued to run my hands through his beautiful dark hair for at least five minutes, until he looked up at me.

"Are you ok?"

"Yes." – I lied. It was repulsive to lie to Jacob, but I didn't want to make a bigger deal out of it.

"I'm sorry… I'm a jerk."

"No you're not; you want to protect me… I understand that."

"But it's not what you want." – He wasn't asking me.

"No… it's not." – He shook his head and took in a deep breath.

"I don't want to let you down… but I couldn't live with myself if I took you with me to fight and you got seriously hurt… or… or…"

"Killed." – I had a huge knot in my throat; the vision in my dream of Jacob dead making it's what into my thoughts. Why couldn't we be normal, why couldn't we live boring uneventful lives? It would all be better if we were both regular humans, fighting over what movie to go see or what restaurant to dine at. But then again, would we love each other with the same intensity if we weren't _"freaks"_?

I instinctively climbed on top of Jacob's lap and began to kiss him. The thought that we both could die at any moment, that we were not "invincible", made me appreciate and value every minute, every second even more. When you're immortal, it seems like you have all the time in the world, like you can pass up a moment and it doesn't matter because you have forever to make it happen again. But now, both of us considering the other one's possible demise, it seemed stupid to pass up even the slightest second not being with each other.

I could sense he felt the same, from the way he kissed me. It was passionate but not fierce, eager but not rushed, deep but not hard. He leaned back on the back support of the bench, so that I was almost lying on top of him. I could feel his hands caressing the back of my thighs and couldn't care less that we were in broad day light, because it felt so right.

He wasn't wearing a shirt, which made everything much better; the scorching fire of his skin reaching the very core of me. I wasn't nervous like in my dad's Ashton Martin, but I _was _apprehensive. I knew what I wanted but wasn't sure what his reaction would be; by now I really couldn't take another rejection. Despite my hesitance, I put my hand on his cheek and projected what I wanted, my heart beating faster at the anticipation and worry of his answer. He opened his eyes when I was done projecting and looked into mine, showing me nothing but the purest love.

"Ness… are you sure?" – My heart skipped a beat upon his answer. Was he actually saying yes?

"Jake, I love you."

"But… are you sure?" – I nodded, because by this time it was impossible for me to muster a word, considering he was asking me as he trailed kisses down my neck. My nod was all it took to change the mood; I heard Jacob's heart start beating faster, as did mine.

I began to unbutton his cutoffs as he started to pull my dress up. I stopped kissing him and put my arms up, letting him slip the dress right off my body. I had never been this naked in front of Jacob. I was wearing a tube top and the underwear I had bought in my shopping trip with Alice and momma and kept hidden. It wasn't skimpy, not in the least, but I was sexy; I knew at some point they'd come in handy.

Jacob growled playfully and picked me up as he stood up, carrying me like a bride.

"I'm taking you somewhere private." – He was smiling a half smile, his hair falling over his wild excited eyes.

"I… I don't care." – He laughed when I said this.

"You will if Bella and Edward get back early from their hunting trip."

"Oh".

"Yeah oh… Edward already wanted to kill me once today; I don't want to push my luck. The only reason they went hunting was to blow off some steam, instead of blowing _me_ off. "

Jacob carried me for what seemed like way too long, until we reached a part of the forrest heavily guarded by foliage and bushes. There were purple lilies growing everywhere, making the area seem more pretty than wild. He threw my dress over the grownd and placed me on top of it, hovering over me with his inmense body, supporting his weight on the palms of his hands, as if doing a push up.

We continued to kiss, this time much more passionate and rushed. I wanted him closer to me so I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him toward me; my sudden impulse causing his heart to stutter a bit before pounding even harder. I began to pull down his cutoffs, having trouble in doing so because of how close we were to one another. As my hands worked to pull it down, I touched his bare buttom, making him smile against my mouth. The part where his back ends and his butt begins was glorious, I could feel the tightness of his muscles and felt like an idiot for never paying much attention to this area… never again.

He started to make his way down, trailing kisses all over my bare skin, lingering a bit longer on my breasts. This was an area he had never explored before, and I welcomed it, only wishing he would just take off my tube top and bra. I began to shake from head to toe, a reaction that would have been really embarrassing if it would have been with any other guy, but this was Jacob, so somehow it wasn't. He continued to trail kisses, lifting my tub top up just enough to kiss my belly, but stopping short of my lower abdomen. I wanted him to keep going, but he just stopped and looked up at me.

"Baby… is this good?" – I couldn't believe my ears. Had he no idea of the effect he has on me? By now, didn't he know that he sent shivers down my spine just by looking at me? Couldn't he see that I was shaking from head to toe with pleasure and anticipation at the mere sensation of his lips on my skin? He was really just too good to be true, a guy that's perfect at everything and doesn't even know it.

His vulnerability made me want him even more, taking his face in my hands and pulling him back toward me so that our noses where almost touching. He was looking into my eyes, searching for the answer.

"Jake… you're driving me crazy… don't you know that?" – The words came out in pants.

"No… tell me… show me…" – There was a plea in his voice and it suddenly hit me; he was apprehensive, almost insecure about his performance. I couldn't understand why, but he was. So I let my hands do all the talking, proyecting every sensation he was giving me and how much I wanted him to keep going. That was all it took, he continued to kiss my lips, this time with much more self assurance and confidence; there was suddenly no more hesitation. By now we were both panting and moaning, our hands and lips exploring each other's bodies.

I felt his strong hands more downwards and take hold of my panties, slowly pulling them down, when a voice far away made us both freeze in our positions.

"Jake!!! Jake!!! Where are you man?!!! Please… we need you!!!" – Quil's voice sounded panicked. Jacob and I turned to look at each other with surprise and confusion.

"Jake!!! If you can hear me, phase!!! You need to get down here, now!!!" – Yep, Quil was definetly panicked. Jake got up off me but stayed kneeling on the grownd, so I sat up to be at his eye level.

"Jake… you need to phase… find out what's going on."

"Shit… this is the worst timing ever!!!" – He was running his hand through his hair, trying to calm himself. – "If I phase and find out this is about nothing, I'm having Quil for breakfast."

It was kind of funny to see him so angry. Don't get me wrong, I was pissed too, but somehow I could read in Quil's voice that something really _was_ up.

"Listen, the sooner you phase and find out what's going on, the sooner we can… um… continue this." – I felt my face flush and felt like an idiot. What kind of reaction is _that_ when a minute ago I was pulling down his pants? He thought so too because he laughed.

"Ok, I'll be right back, don't move a muscle." – He gave me a quick kiss and went behind a surrounding bush to phase. Now _I_ was the one laughing. I few second's ago we were about to see each other completely naked and now he goes and covers himself to take off his pants, which again, were the ones I was just about to take off myself? We truly are a strange couple.

I felt a rush of wind and saw him in wolf form, tilting his head up as if to listen better. A minute or two later he returned, kneeling in front of me, already dressed and human. From the expression on his face, this wasn't good.

"Ness… it's those things, they're in the forest headed this way. Sam's pack is trying to push them back, but I don't know how long they'll hold… the guys are with them too. According to Quil, they seem set on coming this side, and willing to fight their way through." – Whatever tingly lustful feeling I had a second ago, vanished in that very moment.

"What? What do you mean "this side"?"

"I mean beyond the treaty line."

I got up quickly and threw my dress back on in a rush.

"My family… you think they're after my family?"

"Damn Ness… I don't know, but I don't think this is a coincidence."

"How many?"

"Quil counted twelve, but Leah saw at least six more on the outsides, trying to get past them by going around them."

"Ok… so we outnumber them, right?" – I was trying to count in my head but was too panicked to get anywhere. Emmett… Leah… Alice… Jasper… Sam… Rosalie… Jared… Alice, no dad…

"No, Sam ordered his pack not to fight." – Jacob's voice came out angry and bitter.

"What? Why?"

"He's not willing to help us."

"But, aren't you supposed to be like brothers?"

"Ness… when I say "us" I mean your family. He still has it in his head that all they're after is vampires, that once they get what they want they'll go away and not harm any humans, or wolves."

"But… but what about Leah?"

"The damn dog is so stubborn, thinks it was an accident, that somehow she got in their way or something. He just wants to prevent a fight from happening, so he thinks all of us wolves should back down, that the vamps can take care of themselves. He's willing to stay inforcing the perimeter, but if they get past, he's not going to cross the treaty line."

"What are we going to do?" – All sorts of images where invading my mind, not one of them good. It was as if all my fears where coming true. Jacob took me by my waist and looked directly into my eyes.

"It's ok, don't worry about this, Ness. Trust me, trust your family. We freaking stood up to the Volturi, we fought an army of newborn vampires, these hybrids are nothing compared to that. There's nothing to worry about." – What he was saying made sense, but I couldn't shake off my anxiety. I had so much to lose, it was unreal.

"Listen Ness… you have to go home and find Edward alright? Tell him everything and tell him to find me." - I nodded.

"I… I have to go now." – After what had almost happened between us, it was insane to be parted from him. I could tell he felt the same because his eyes looked conflicted and pleading, almost as if he wanted me to stop him, ask him not to go; and I would have, I was just about ready to crawl on my knees and beg for him not to leave me, but this was Jacob, the man I love, the man who was born to fight, the man who was meant to lead, the man who would always be at the front of any battalion. To love him I had to accept this, and to love him, I would also have to let go of my own self pride and accept his protection and my own weakness. I needed to let him go fight and stay behind.

"Jake…" – He leaned closer, his eyes pained.

"Just be careful." – He nodded, understanding my resolution.

"Find Edward." – And with that, he blasted away running, phasing in mid sprint. I watched as he disappeared into the forest and ran the opposite direction, toward the cottage.

Dad must have read my thoughts a mile away because he came out of the house as I approached, mom at his heels.

"Where is he?"

"He went south, they're along the treaty line."

"Bella love, go get Emmett and Jasper." – Mom disappeared before my eyes and returned half a minute later with both my uncles.

"Yeah!!! It's party time!!!" – Uncle Em's loud voice echoed through the forest.

"Let's just get this over with nice and easy… no showing off." – Uncle Jazz turned to look at Emmett, slightly smiling. Then turned toward dad with a more "business" tone. – "So, how many."

"At least eighteen." – I answered, wanting to feel somewhat a part of this.

"Cool, six a piece… I get the big ones!!!" – Uncle Em spoke as if he was calling "shotgun", and something about his confidence rubbed off on me, giving me the glimmer of hope that maybe Jacob was right.

"See ya baby girl… bye sis." – Uncle Em kissed my forhead and then gave mom a hug with one arm, before walking into the forest.

"No worries Nessie, we'll take care of this, it ends today." – Uncle Jazz kissed me as well, insusing me with calm, and winked at mom, as he followed Emmett.

Mom walked up to dad, toching his face with the tip of her fingers, tracing his perfect features like a blind person recognizing a loved one.

"Come home to me, alright?" – The began to kiss in such a passionate way that I had to look away. As I waited for my teen parents to get it together and stop the PDA, I realized I hadn't even kissed Jacob goodbye. It had all happened so fast, and I was so intent in not making a scene, that it had slipped my mind. When I turned back to face my parents, dad was looking at me, with mom hugging his waist.

"You'll have the rest of your eternal life to kiss him, I promise you." – I smiled and nodded. I'd never known dad to make a promise he couldn't keep.

He disappeared into the forest, but not before kissing mom one last time and me as well. We both stood there, staring after the men in our family, mom's cold conforting arm around my waist.

"So, mind telling me why you're wearing your dress inside-out." – My heart stopped, was I? A quick glance down confirmed it to be true. I turned to look at mom, who was still gazing out into where dad had gone, but couldn't make out her mood. That's the thing about vampires, if they don't want you to, it's almost imposible to read their expressions, because they can stand so still and stone-like, with their glorious features giving nothing away.

"I… um…" – It was embarrassing to have her ask that, and even more embarrassing to even begin to think how I could answer.

"I'd just like to know what you let my best friend, possibly soon to be _dead _friend, do to you." – That definetly sounded pissed, even thought it came out melodic and beautifull, the way her voice always sounds.

"Nothing."

"_Nothing_? So you decided to take your dress off and put it on inside-out for the fun of it?"

"We didn't have sex."

"Then what happened?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?" – Mom wasn't a prier so I couldn't understand why she had gone all dad on me all of a sudden.

"I honestly don't know Renesmee. Jake, he's so… so big and impulsive and willfull, I just don't want you to feel pressured into something you're not ready for."

"He's not the one applying the pressure mom." – She turned and looked at me with shock. I knew I'd probably dug my own hole, but I wasn't about to let her think something untrue about Jake.

"You mean… _you're_ the one pressuring him?" – There was disbelief in her voice.

"Umm… well, yeah. I mean, he… he has this whole thing about doing it the right way, mostly because dad threatened to kick his ass, but mostly because he has trouble looking at me that way… and… well… I love him… and why wait."

Mom started laughing, scaring the hell out of me. That was definetly _not_ the reaction I expected.

"What's so funny?"

"Jacob… I'm trying to picture him saying no to you." – A smile curved my lips. It really was kind of sweet that a guy like him would want to wait while I, the younger inexperienced one, would push to go all the way.

After a while of my mom's laughter, I couldn't help but laugh as well, until we where both in hysterics.

"So you're not mad?" – I asked when she was done laughing.

"Renesmee… you're so much like me, it's insane. I was after your dad too, only he's not as easily persuaded."

"Uh, I really didn't want to hear that." – I made a disgusted face while momma laughed at it.

"So, you think dad was right… I mean, do you regret waiting?" – I needed to ask, now that we were all open with each other.

"I honestly don't know… I wasn't brought up to really believe in marriage… but it was important for your dad and so it was worth the wait, to make him happy. I think that maybe because I was human… and mortal… I had a tendency to want to rush into things, but now I understand that we have nothing but time, so why not get it right, be patient."

I knew she was right, but there was something preventing me from being patient… my nightmare; the fear that Jacob could be taken away from me, that our lives have no guarantee, that one second could change everything. I placed my hand on momma's cheek and projected my dream, confiding in her the way I always have, since birth, but lately had forgotten to do because of my time with Jacob.

Her eyes went blank as she stared into nothing, seeing in her mind what I was showing her. When I was done her eyes showed me love, understanding and reassurance.

"Renesmee… neither your dad nor I would _ever _let that happen; besides, Jacob can take care of himself, I promise. There was a time when I worried about him too, because I still saw him like my human friend; he seemed so young and sweet and harmless to me, but trust me, he can fight with the best of us, there is no doubt in my mind about that. I would trust him with my life, with your father's life, with yours. So whatever happens, I promise you now, your nightmare _will not_ come true."

Momma caught a tear that escaped my eye and kissed me softly over the area it wetted. I felt relief upon hearing her speak so confident and convinced and was finally able to let go of the nightmare, once and for all.

It was dark already, this having been one of the longest days of my life. It seemed like ages ago when I'd gotten down from the airplane and reunited with Jacob. So much had happened since then, it was hard to believe it had only been one day; and it wasn't over, not until I had Jacob lying next to me in bed, ready to sleep and put an end to it.

In the distance, we could both hear heavy pounding like thunder, even though it wasn't raining; and the roar of the air, even though it wasn't windy.

"Come on, let's go inside… they'll be back before we know it."

* * *

**I'm so sorry I didn't update sooner; with Christmas and starting the New Year, I had very little time to write. Thank you so much for sticking with me, I hope you keep giving me your reviews. I know I've had some problems with my spelling, especially names; I promise I'll be more careful. Please tell me what you think!!! Am I being true to the characters? Is it suspenseful enough? Anything… everything!!! I want to know!!!**


	19. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of her characters; I'm just a fan having some fun. No copywrite infringement intended. **

**Chapter 18**

**Nessie's POV**

_I woke up in the forest, unsure of how I got there and why on Earth I'd been able to fall asleep in the first place. It was cold and foggy; the white haze not allowing me to see much past a few feet. I began to walk, at first confident but then confused once I realized I didn't recognize a single thing in this forest. Where the hell was I? I continued to make my way; walking, then jogging then bursting into a full run, thinking the more grown I'd cover the more likely I'd find a familiar spot and make my way home. I heard voices nearby and made my way toward them, relieved when I saw that it was Jacob, mom and dad. I smiled at them and began to walk into the clearing where they were standing; but oddly enough, they didn't acknowledge my presence. Was the fight over? What were they still doing in the forest?_

"_Hey!" – I called out, only to be ignored again. The fog didn't allow me to get a good look at them but they seemed fine enough to be able to hear me… so why weren't they?_

_Momma had something in her arms, and once I got close enough, I saw it was a baby. This was really weird. –"Hey!" – I called out again, but again none of them looked over. What is wrong with them? I was already close enough to make out their faces and expressions when Jacob silently asked mom for the baby. Nothing could have prepared me for Jacob's reaction to the child. He held it and looked at it with longing, love, devotion, almost infatuation. I was in shock and felt a surge of jealousy hit me like never before. Sure it was just a baby, but they way he was looking at it… I'd never seen him so fascinated by something… this had to stop. _

_I quickened my pace; my heart racing with anger… that thing was __not__ taking Jacob away from me._

_And then, when I was just about to snatch it from his hands, he held it up so I could see its face. It was a baby girl, about two years old, with copper curly hair adorning her angelic face. She didn't look at me, even though I was right in front of her, she only had eyes for Jacob; her pupils dilated in the middle of her almond colored eyes… my momma's eyes… __my__ eyes._

"_I love you Renesmee." – Spoke Jacob, looking at the child, not me. Was this some kind of dream? Why did it feel so real? Was I actually staring at myself as a child? The three of them rapidly turned their heads to look at something, and once I did the same, realized why they all had dread in their expressions._

_Entering the clearing, like something out of my worst nightmares, was an entire battalion of cloaked beings, the Volturi. I swallowed hard and stood there, invisible next to the three people I love the most._

_A man stepped out from the battalion and I recognized him to be Aro. He was just as I remembered, producing in me the same chill and ere I'd felt years ago as a child._

"_So… will you be foolish enough to protect her?" – What? Was he talking about me? I saw with horror as Jacob and my parents nodded, Jacob setting the toddler on the ground and instructing her… me… to run and hide._

"_So be it." – The entire battalion started approaching rapidly, like a wave of death and destruction I knew for sure my loved ones could not withstand._

"_No!!! Stop!!! Please, no!!!" – My panicked shriek came out so loud it resonated through the forest, but had no effect on my family, not one flinch. This is a dream, this is a dream, this is a dream… I repeated in my head, watching as the light of my life was about to be extinguished. _

"Renesmee honey, you have to wake up." – I opened my eyes and saw momma sitting on my bed, the one grandma bought and placed in the guest room when I was born, so I could occasionally stay over. I was still dazed and confused, my heart beating so wildly and rapidly that I was surprised it hadn't woke me up earlier.

"Mom?"

"Honey, get up… we need to move quickly."

I was still half asleep so I just followed her downstairs, unsure of what was going on but a bit alarmed by her agitation. What time was it anyway? How long had I been asleep? It was still dark out, so it couldn't have been for too long.

Once we reached the front entrance I saw my two aunts, grandma and grandpa.

"What's going on?"

"Things got a bit… complicated. A group of those things are coming here."

"Complicated? How? Is Jacob ok?" – I held my breath, knowing that was a question I really didn't want to make.

"Yes, he's fine… he sent Seth over here to warn us."

"Ok… so do we wait for them inside? Up front? Do we have time to hide and sneak up on them?" – Knowing Jacob was alright gave me all the strength and courage I needed to focus on the task at hand.

"No honey… you're not fighting. Your aunts and I will take care of them; you have to go with Carlisle and Esme, we don't have much time, they're almost here… do as I say." – She added that last part with the authority tone only a mother could muster.

"But…"

"No buts Renesmee… the three of you are hiding out until we finish them off."

Grandma took my hand and started leading me to the back of the house, as momma kissed my cheek, Aunt Alice winked at me and Aunt Rose blew me a kiss, saying – "Don't worry my darling."

We were already entering the house's storage room when I heard Seth howl just outside the house; those things where here.

Grandpa pushed us in and closed the door behind him, standing in front of it as a protective shield. I felt horrible, absolutely horrible. Sure grandma isn't really a fighter, but grandpa should definitely be out there and he's stuck here, protecting me like some precious jewel everybody seems to want to risk their life for.

The room had a small window facing the side of the house, so I perched myself up as to be able to see something, as if by witnessing the events I'd be able to help in some way. It was so dark that if not by my enhanced eyes, I wouldn't have been able to make out anything.

It was so quiet I wondered if there really was a fight going on, until I saw four of the creatures walking slowly, almost creeping, toward the house. They looked exactly like the woman we'd fought. There were three men and one woman, all tall, tanned, dirty and wild.

Momma, Alice and Rose appeared before my eyes, all of them so beautiful and graceful, like three petite angelic models, that next to the creatures you'd think they were goners.

The woman spoke to the men, giving them some sort of order in the form of a snarl and a growl, exposing her pointy beastlike teeth.

The fight began so quickly I barely had time to prepare myself. I was in awe as I watched momma fight in such a way that made Alice and Rose look weak and tame. She hit one of the men straight across the face; the blow throwing him far into the forest, killing him instantly; his neck snapping and dislocating in a way that made his head wobble as he flew across and disappeared into the darkness.

Alice was fighting the other two men and was so quick I had a hard time keeping up with her. She seemed to have everything under control until one of them was able to hold her down while the other one pulled one of her arms off, producing the most horrible metallic sound. Momma stepped in and they both continued to punch, kick and bite the creatures; my poor aunt with just one arm but fury and determination in her eyes.

Aunt Rose was the farthest from my view, combating with such elegance that she seemed more like she was dancing than fighting. The contrast between her and the filthy retched woman was gigantic and I suddenly felt very proud to be her niece.

When I turned to glance back at momma and Alice, I saw that my dear aunt had already attached her arm back and was healing rapidly, still unable to use it but moving in sync with the rest of her.

Suddenly Aunt Rose came flying through the air, her body twisting as if she were performing aerial back flips. She hit a series of trees, knocking them down one by one until the last one was sturdy enough to only crack. She fell to the ground but recovered quickly, getting up and crouching defensively, exposing her teeth in a warning snarl. The woman was crouching as well, exposing her own jagged teeth. They began to run toward each other, like two bulls about to tackle, when the woman leaped up and transformed in mid air into a giant werewolf.

I had to pull back from the window upon seeing this. My eyes were wide in shock. I'd never seen anyone phase in mid air like that apart from Jacob; it was an impressive quality that I suspected many of the other wolves envied, because maybe in some way it reminded them the Jake was different, better, regal. But now, watching the woman do it in the same impressive manner really shook my world.

Her gigantic mouth closed around my aunt's shoulder, throwing her down to the ground. As Aunt Rose was struggling to break free from the fearsome grip of the creature's jaw, I felt grandma hold my hand a bit tighter; this couldn't be easy for her, watching the creature's teeth pierce her daughter.

Neither momma nor Alice could help her, by now they were fighting back to back, combining their strengths and abilities against the two remaining men, in the form of a well choreographed collaboration. I wanted to help, _needed_ to help, knew in my gut that I _could_ help.

Momma took a giant branch that had fallen from one of the trees Aunt Rose brought down and rammed it straight into one of the men, the branch sticking out from the other side of him. The sight was gruesome and bloody and I wondered just how much more of this I could stand to watch. She then hurried to Rosalie's side, tackling the woman in wolf form and freeing my aunt. Aunt Rose didn't look so good, stepping back from the fight for a moment.

Now it was momma and the woman battling it out. I cringed every time mom received a heavy blow, remembering what Tanya had said about them being strong like newborn vampires. Not only were they as strong as Tanya had warned, but they were equally fast and agile, unlike what the Denalis had experienced. Could it be possible that they were evolving rapidly? Getting better and better with each fight?

Aunt Alice was still fighting the last man standing; her speed was an advantage, although he was stronger, knocking her around whenever he could catch her.

I turned back to mom and saw that she had obtained the upper hand, having knocked the creature so hard on the ground that a huge depression was formed. The beast was almost underground in the concave floor struggling to get up when momma raced away and came back with an immense boulder; holding it above her head, ready to knock it into the wolf.

And then… the most alarming thing happened, the woman turned her wolf face and looked at me, right into my eyes, and for the strangest reason, I saw recognition in her stare, like somehow she knew me. My reaction was to step back from the window but it was too late. She knocked mom down by biting her legs and launching her away and began to run straight toward me on all four, her eyes evil and possessed.

Grandma took hold of me, wrapping her arms securely around me and twirling us across to room so we were standing in the opposite corner.

"Carlisle!!!" – She screamed out at the same time that the woman rammed her beastly body straight into the concrete wall, going right through it, debris and wreckage exploding everywhere. She growled fiercely once she was inside the room with us, her eyes still on me.

Grandpa jumped in front of her and was such a good fighter, that she was on the ground in under a minute, blood oozing rapidly from the area in her throat where grandpa had bit her. Momma was now holding her down as grandpa sat on top of her. She was panting and struggling, growling so loudly I felt the urge to cover my ears.

"Calm down please… there is no reason for us to fight, we do not know you and if not for the fact that you so violently came to attack us, we would not mean you any harm. Now, you are losing blood at a rapid pace… I am a doctor… I can help you if you help us understand your motives."

The woman phased back into human form, not like Jacob who does it with a bang, but as if a balloon were gently deflated until reaching its original form. She was naked, covered with dirt and her own blood. She was snarling out what seemed to be curse words in some sort of wolf language.

"Can you speak English?" – She nodded, obviously a bit weak from the amount of blood she was losing.

"Good… now answer me, who sent you? Where do you come from?"

"Master… my master is powerful and will kill you for this." – It was as if a wolf could actually speak; her voice came out in growls and snarls that sounded like words. It would have been interesting and amusing if not for the fact that her voice, and the way it resonated in her chest, was terribly frightening.

"Who is your master?"

"He made me, gave me life… I will not betray him."

"I must remind you that your life hangs in the balance… I am a compassionate person, but I will let you die if you do not answer me."

"Person… you're an _asanguisuga, bevitore di sangue_". – She was laughing disdainfully, sounding almost like a wheezing cough.

Grandpa sighed. – "Fine, any last words?"

"No… wait…" – She seemed in pain, her voice gurgling from the blood accumulated in her throat. Her eyes grew wide once she began to struggle for breath.

"Don't kill me."

"Then tell me who your master is?" – She shook her head.

"Alright, then tell me what you came for… what you want with us." – Her eyes were rolling to the back of her head and she was gasping for breath.

"There's not much time… tell me and I'll help you." – Grandpa had a pained expression on his face, probably because he's used to saving and helping however he can without setting conditions.

The woman began to lift her head off the floor, writhing in pain. Her voice came out so low that even I had trouble hearing it.

"He said… kill… kill the vampires… conquer _il dominante_… acquire… acquire his treasure."

"Carlisle?" – Momma looked up at him when the woman became silent and went limp.

"She's dead."

Aunt Alice and Rose stepped inside the wrecked storage room. In the distance I could see the corpse of the last werewolf, but not even the sight of all the monsters dead was enough to ease me, because I still didn't know how Jacob was doing.

"What do you think that means?" – Momma was looking at grandpa with a thoughtful expression, but relaxed considering what had just happened.

"It's obvious these creatures were sent to murder us… and the part about _il dominante_… and the treasure, I don't know. One thing I do know… _asanguisuga_ means leech in Italian and I can only think of one person, or persons, that would want us dead."

"The Volturi." - We all spoke their name in unison, the sound causing pain in the pit of my stomach.

* * *

I was sitting in the living room, the sun's early weak rays penetrating the otherwise dark space. I could smell the corpses burning in the back of the house, letting off a putrid rotting smell that burned my nose.

It was five already and no sign of Jacob or any of the men in my family. I'd asked to go looking for them but was obviously denied permission.

"_It's over honey… Alice saw them all returning home."_ – Mom had replied, urging me to stay put, assuring me they were probably cleaning up as we were.

So I sat there, alone and waiting, holding my bent knees to my chest, feeling my eyelids grow heavy but refusing to give in to my exhaustion.

And then… I smelled him; like the most stimulating and uplifting aroma I would ever encounter. I quickly got up from the couch and opened the front door. The others had made their way directly to the back of the house; I knew this because I could smell them there despite the harsh stench of the burning bodies.

Jacob was standing in front of the door, alive and well. My eyes scanned his perfect half naked body only to find that its perfection was still intact, not a scratch or dent on him. But something wasn't quite right; even though I knew they'd been victorious, Jacob did not look triumphant, if anything, he looked defeated and devastated.

"What…?" – Was all my confused brain could come up with.

"Sam's dead." – His voice was hoarse and barely audible. His eyes were stinging with tears, the skin around them tense and red. I covered my mouth in shock, holding my breath for fear I might scream. I'd never known anyone to die; all my loved ones, all the people I'd ever known, mortal or immortal, were still living.

"But… but how?" – It wasn't really a question a needed an answer to, it was more of a protest. – "He didn't fight!!! Why would they kill him? I… I don't…"

"He _did_ fight… once he saw they meant us all harm, he ordered his pack to fight. I tried… I tried to get to him… but… I failed… I failed him."

"No." – I took Jacob in my arms, hugging him as strongly and reassuringly as I could despite my own uneasiness and distress. I knew Sam since I was a baby, spent entire afternoons in he's and Emily's cabin, Emily cooking up a storm and feeding all my wolf friends. Emily… the thought of her hit me hard, did she know already? Who had told her? Had she sensed it when it happened? I couldn't even begin to imagine what she must be feeling, the pain; the agonizing heart wrenching soul searing pain.

"It's like they knew… knew he was the alpha… they all went for him… it was… it was horrible."

My stomach was churning from the images my mind was fabricating.

"I'm sorry Jake… I'm so sorry." – He continued to bury his face in my curls, holding on so tight I was sure his hands would leave bruises, that is, if I _could_ bruise.

"I don't know what I'm going to do… everything's changed."

"What do you mean?" – He pulled back to look at me and I could see so much grief, remorse and sorrow in his eyes that my heart broke.

"Ness… the second he died… I… I was able to hear everyone's thoughts, not just my pack's, but his as well."

"You mean…"

"I'm the new alpha… it's so… so sick and… and twisted."

"Don't look at it that way Jake… you were always meant to be the alpha." – I said, trying to soothe him.

"But not at his expense!!! It's like I'm benefiting from his death… I don't want it… I never did!!!"

Jacob was just about to keep going when mom and dad entered the living room from the back, causing Jake to close his eyes and inhale, stopping himself from continuing.

"I'm very sorry Jacob."

"Not now Edward." – I knew he meant for it to sound intimidating, but it came out exhausted. Dad simply nodded.

"It's been a long day… you should get some rest."

"Are you kicking me out?" – Jacob opened his eyes to look at dad, and this time, his tone definitely sounded intimidating. He was looking at dad with defiance and a hint anger, waiting for his response. Dad's voice never changed from a calm and soothing tone.

"Of course not, I was simply suggesting that you both go to bed, you've been up since yesterday morning and already fought two different times."

Dad turned on his heel and headed upstairs, while mom came over to hug us both, lingering a bit longer with Jacob.

"Night Jake… goodnight honey." – She called out as she too headed upstairs.

"Come on… do you want to go back to the cottage or stay here?"

"I don't care… I just want to be with you." – He sounded more than exhausted, so I decided it would be best not prolonged this and just use the guest room. I also didn't want to venture far away from my family or the security of the big house.

I took his hand and led him upstairs into the room. We got inside the covers and wrapped our arms around each other. Sam was dead, the reality of this was shocking and overwhelming, not only because he was one of the fiercest strongest wolves out there but because he was so much like Jacob. I couldn't help but compare them, knowing it could have been Jake…

**Lately I haven't gotten nearly as many reviews as I'd like. Please… pretty please, leave me something so I know that you guys are still with me, still interested and still reading!!! The more reviews I get, the more I know I'm not writing in vain and the sooner I'll finish more chapters!!!**

**Don't mean to pressure you guys… but I'm just really dying to know what you think!!!**

**Thank you so much!!!**


	20. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer, I do not own any of the Twilight Series characters; I'm just a fan having fun. No copywrite infringement intended.**

**Chapter 19**

**Nessie's POV**

"Ness… wake up baby."

Jake was still in bed with me, with his arms securely around me and the same distressed face he had on yesterday… yesterday. All the images came back to me in a wave, everything from our fight with the woman werewolf, to almost going all the way with Jake, to watching mom kick the crap out of the werewolves to… to the awful news of Sam's death.

"What time is it?"

"It's eleven am… we slept like six hours."

"Do you want to keep sleeping?" – I was hoping for a yes; anything to keep him in my bed and avoid dealing with the terrible reality out there.

"You can keep sleeping if you like, but I need to go help with the preparations… for the funeral."

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the tears that were eventually going to come.

"Will it be today?"

"Yes… at dusk, Sam's favorite time of day." – I opened my eyes to look at Jake; because it was absurd to waist anytime _not_ looking at him, _not_ contemplating his beauty.

"Are you ok?"

"I don't know… I still can't wrap my head around it."

"I'll come with you, help out… ok?" – I didn't wait for an answer; I just got out of bed and started heading for the bathroom door. – "We should take a shower and then go."

"Together?" – I turned back to him, not sure if he was serious or joking. He smiled teasingly at me but then frowned and looked down, his mask of pain coming back. - "I can't believe I'm even thinking about that in a time like this."

I was about to speak when he got up and headed for the door.

"I'm going home to get cleaned up, I'll be back." – An with that he exited, closing the door behind him.

* * *

When Jacob returned half an hour later, he was wearing ripped jeans and a short sleeve black t-shirt, the one that clings to all his muscles and drives me crazy. I was having a hard time as it is trying to breathe with the pressure in my chest from Sam's loss without Jake having to go around dressed like that.

We spend the afternoon running all sorts of errands, from picking up the death certificate to filling out paperwork to renting chairs and ordering a catering service. Quil and Embry came along with us, while the rest of Sam's pack got the word out about the funeral, held a council meeting, took care of the flowers, bought a coffin and filled another set of paperwork. Seth stayed behind with Leah who was too distraught to help out in the arrangements. By five o'clock everything was done, so Jake dropped me off at the big house to get ready.

When I entered, my entire family was already dressed and prepared for the occasion. All the men were wearing designer black suits making them look even more like models or celebrities, if that were possible. Grandma had on a simple short black dress with a cape while my two aunts were decked out in designer dresses with black lace details and elaborates pleading and fringes, complete with stylish hats and veils that covered half their faces, the kind I've only seen people wear in movies. Momma as always went against the grain, opting for pants rather than a dress, a simple pony tail instead of an extravagant hat and black sneakers rather than stilettos.

"Uuuu Nessie… I left something for you to wear; it's on top of your bed!!!"

"Don't you think the two of you have gone overboard?" – I was signaling between her and Aunt Rose.

"What? Of course not, this is proper attire for funerals."

"Yeah, maybe for the queen of England or some swanky celebrity... but this is La Push we're talking about."

"Well, a little bit of fashion wouldn't hurt to cheer up an otherwise heartbreaking occasion."

"But…" – As much as I love fashion myself, this didn't really seem like the moment to flaunt ones outfit.

"Nessie darling, we don't want to be late and by now you must know that she won't give in." – Aunt Alice smiled and stuck her tongue out at dad when he said this, and then motioned with her head towards upstairs, where my dress was waiting.

I reluctantly started up the stairs. – "It better not be over the top." – I threatened her, but as always, she wasn't swayed.

When I made it to the guest room, I was relieved to find a normal elegant black dress. It was short, just above my knee, strapless with a miniature coat. I threw it on quickly, pairing it with black ballet flats, and twisted my hair into a bun, letting some curls fall on the frame of my face, and walked out the door.

When we arrived at the site, I was surprised to see so many people; probably all of La Push and then some where there. It really shouldn't have been a surprise, considering how Sam was a much respected member of the Quileute society. The service was held overlooking the ocean, on the cliff where Sam and the others would frequently go to dive. The sun was already descending, making it look even more breathtaking, with the waves crashing beneath us and the sky giving of a pink and orange tone.

We made our way through the crowd and walked down the center aisle, with the two lateral rows of chairs already full and occupied. I was beginning to think we'd have to stand throughout the service, like the rest of the people in the back, when I saw Jacob reserving an entire row up front for us.

He was wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt that he didn't bother to tuck in and a black tie hanging loosely. I know Aunt Alice was probably cringing, wanting to straighten him out and scowl him for pairing black and white "Converse" chucks with formal wear… but to me… he looked like the hottest thing that ever existed in the universe, apart from the sun that is. He smiled when he saw me and signaled for my family to sit on the empty row behind him. I went over to sit next to him and the rest of the guys in the following row.

After a few minutes the crowd went silent and I saw with great sorrow as all the wolves in Sam's former pack carried his coffin into the gathering. It was an overwhelming moment to watch their mournful faces as they solemnly carried their leader's body and rested his coffin up front over a huge flat boulder that I suspect one of them must have placed there, because I'd never seen it before.

They went to sit in the front row on the left side and that's when I saw her… Emily. There are no words to describe her face. I swallowed hard upon seeing her because she looked absolutely destroyed; her eyes vacant and lifeless, reflecting so much agony and pain that I was surprised she could even sit up, surprised she was still alive. Jared and Paul went to sit on each side of her, holding her hands firmly; giving her the support I knew couldn't possibly make her feel better. She wasn't wearing black, instead, she had on one of her usual native nightgowns; it was obvious this was what she had been wearing when they told her and that she had not cared or had time to change. I watched helplessly as her face distorted with sorrow and wondered what I would do or how I would look if it were me.

I turned to look at Jacob; he was alive and sitting right next to me, making me feel an immense amount of gratitude and happiness. He sensed my eyes on him and turned to me as well, taking my hand in his and smiling; not his usual huge grin but a small contemplative smile, the kind he used to give me before we got together, when I could sense he was considering something but wouldn't tell me. Back then it was whether to declare his love, but now… I don't know.

Old Quil got up from the crowd and walked to the front, wearing a magnificent traditional Quileute garment. The colors were so beautiful, the patterns so intricate and the materials so luxurious that it was obvious that this wasn't your everyday native wear. I then realized that all the Elders, which were sitting on an exclusive row of chairs, were also dressed in similar clothing, all of them looking severely distressed by the loss.

Old Quil officiated the ceremony, or should I say ritual. He spoke about Sam's spirit, and how it had now returned to Mother Earth, how he was now one with the energy and life force all around us. He spoke of honor and love and courage, and of how death is only the beginning, only a step in a continuous life cycle. He spoke in a solemn yet heartwarming way, directing his gaze toward Emily from time to time. His words were so moving and so true that I instantly felt warm tears start to make their way down my cheeks, dripping from my chin.

"Sam is still among us, he is all around us, in the trees and the land and the air. He is also still among us in the way he affected our lives, in the lessons he taught many of us, in the love he had for life and for his people, in his example of a true and righteous leader, because he was a man who never backed down from responsibility, never gave up and always did what was right and expected of him, even when it was difficult."

Old Quil carried on as the sun slowly descended; producing the most beautiful twilight effect I'd ever seen. Jacob was still holding my hand, playing with the bracelet he had given me on my first Christmas, the one I never take off.

"But his most valuable trait was not his skills or responsibility or even courageousness, it was his ability to harbor immense and awe-inspiring love; love of which our dear Emily knows firsthand. Emily my dear… the kind of love that you and Sam had is a love that cannot and will not die, a love that I know transcends life and death and all the elements, a love that will help you get through this."

I turned to watch Emily and saw that her face was calmer, despite the underlining pain still very much visible. I wondered if she would be able to love again, be able to give herself to another man after being privileged to experience a supernatural and unparallel love and commitment. It pained me to realize that wasn't possible, because I know that after Jacob there could be no other man.

I was so deep in my thoughts that I didn't realize the ceremony was over; Old Quill having stepped back to his seat and everyone getting up to pay their respects to Emily.

"Man, I don't know what to say to her." – Quil was pulling at his shirt collar, obviously uncomfortable with his outfit.

"Should we say something to Leah?" – Embry was looking over his shoulder and whispering. I focused my glance past him and saw her still sitting with Seth by her side with his arm around her. Her eyes were red and swollen, but her anguish was absolutely no comparison to Emily's, not in the least, despite her grief-stricken appearance.

"It'll just piss her off… just be extra nice to her." – Jacob answered, looking at her the same way I was.

"What about Emily?" – Quil pressed on again, now playing with the buttons on his jacket sleeves.

"She's practically family, we know her and we knew Sam… don't worry, just speak from the heart. She knows we're here for her." – Quil and Embry nodded and began to walk toward the line of people.

"Hello Jacob… is now the time to give you my condolence?" – Dad was smiling, obviously trying to cheer him up by making fun of Jacob's cutting answer to him after the fight.

"That's for Emily… not me." – Jacob shrugged, having missed my dad's humor.

"Alright."

We got in line and after what seemed like forever, we made it to Emily. Jacob approached her with a bit of hesitation but once she saw him she pulled him into a tight hug.

"Em… I… I'm so sorry… I couldn't save him; I wasn't strong or fast enough… I will forever regret it and will forever be in your debt." – Jake's voice was breaking as I saw Emily's eyes start to water.

"No Jacob… it's not your fault…"

"Is there anything I can possibly do?"

"No, no one can help me. Jacob… I… I don't know what I'll do… I've died… and the pain… I can't bear another moment." – I saw Jacob hug her even tighter as she buried her face in his shoulder. She clung to him, looking so weak and small next to his massive body, that it was hard to watch.

They stayed like that for another moment until Emily pushed him away; her face so distraught that I barely recognized her. Jacob's eyes were red and watery when he stepped back to allow me to get to her.

"Emily…"

"Nessie… do you think there's a way out… please tell me, you must understand… do you think the pain will ever stop?" – I couldn't help myself; I started crying like a baby, holding her close to me when I said. – "Yes, I don't know how… but it will." – I said it and I believed it, something deep inside of me reassuring that I wasn't just humoring her, that it was absolutely true.

She nodded, containing her sobs, and turned toward my family, accepting their condolences with appreciation but avoiding any physical contact.

After we were done we walked to the back of the rows, where we had arranged some tables for the catering service. We mingled for a bit, saying hello to some of Jacob's school friends and having to answer endless prying questions regarding Sam's sudden death. The official story was bear attack, which everyone easily bough.

My family stood out like a sore thumb, looking so out of place I sort of felt sorry for them, because despite their loving caring hearts, they would always be seen as the wealthy conceited strangely attractive family that no one really accepts or likes.

"Did Blondie and Pixie _really_ have to wear that…? I mean… come on, what's with the hats?" – Jacob had his hands inside his pockets and was shaking his head at them. Aunt Rose rolled her eyes while Alice just stuck her tongue at him, their enhanced hearing allowing them to make out his comment even from a good ten feet away.

"I know… I tried to tell them but you know Alice… at least the dress she got for me isn't embarrassing."

"Nope, definitely not embarrassing…" – He was looking at me up and down suggestively and my mind started flashing images from our little tryst in the forest, making me blush slightly.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

"What? What do you mean?" – I was alarmed. I wanted to pick up where we left off too, but now really didn't seem like the time.

He smiled at my reaction and took my hand, pulling me away. I glimpsed at dad who shook his head at us, but kept going to where Jacob was leading me.

"Um… Jake… I mean, I appreciate the impulse… but shouldn't we take your car and go somewhere else? I mean, half the people back there have enhanced hearing." – Now I was really stressing, because Jake was pulling me into the nearby trees and from this distance I was sure all the wolves and my family could hear us if they tuned in. He didn't say anything, didn't even look back at me, just kept going.

Finally, he turned toward me when we were just a few feet into the trees. He was looking at me intensely but I couldn't help but break his gaze to anxiously glance back at the gathering, which I could still see from here.

"Ness, relax…" – He led me to a fallen three so we could sit.

"What's going on?"

Jacob suddenly got very nervous, looking at the ground instead of me.

"Jake… is… is something wrong."

"No… not at all." – He finally looked up and smiled, but then frowned and looked down once more, growling in frustration. – "Why is this so hard?!!!"

Now I was really panicking, was he trying to break up with me or something? That was insane of course, but I'd never seen him so nervous around me, not this kind of nervous. He was running his hands through his hair and I couldn't understand what this was about.

"Is this about Sam?"

"No… well, yes… but not exactly."

"Well then what?"

"Life… it's so… so short. I mean, I always thought that because of what I am, because of what _we_ are, that somehow death didn't apply to us. I was wrong… so wrong…"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying… I don't want to waist anymore time." – He looked at me now shyly. – "Do you?"

"I… no…but, I don't understand what you're getting at."

"I love you so much Ness… love isn't even the right word; you would have to come up with a better word for what I feel for you. I want to be good for you… I'm afraid maybe I'm not… but I still want to try… if you want." – He was babbling and not making much sense, confusing me even more.

"I love you too Jake."

"I'm going to have new responsibilities, probably less time, now that I'm in charge of all the wolves. Things are changing and I want you to be with me… unless it's too much to ask… because you're still young and maybe… maybe you're not ready, or… or don't want to… but I promise to do my best, always… and love you always… and not get mad if you say no…" – He took in a deep shaky breath and smiled at me so nervous it threw me off. I ran my hand through his hair trying to soothe him; he closed his eyes to my touch and took in another deep breath.

"Jake… please just tell me what you need." – I knew he was asking for something, but really didn't get it.

"I need… I need to stop being so nervous." – He got up and started walking in circles in front of me. – "I'm not doing this right." – He said glancing at me, smiling shyly, almost embarrassed. What the hell was he getting at?

"Jake, why are you so nervous? This is me, you can tell me anything." – I smiled reassuringly although I wasn't so sure I wanted him to keep going, his nerves where rubbing off on me making me feel uncertain.

"I don't know… maybe because I don't know your answer, maybe because I'm being rash and crazy, maybe because this will change everything… only not, because you're already the woman of my life, my world."

"Jake, you're really creeping me out… can you just tell me in plain English what you want me to answer to? I mean, _that is_ what you're getting at right… you need me to do something for you?"

He stopped walking and kneeled in front of me looking up in a way I'd never seen before. He took hold of my hands and kissed them both before going on.

"You know what this is?" – He caressed the bracelet he'd given me, his first present ever to me other than his own life, his own existence.

"You gave me this on my first Christmas."

"But do you know _what_ it is? It's a Quileute promise ring."

"Oh." – I looked down at it surprised, because I'd never known.

"I gave it to you because I always knew, always knew you'd be the one I'd spent the rest of my life with. The question is… am I that for you?" – I nodded, still uncertain of his intentions.

"What I mean to say Nessie is… will you marry me?" – He took a tiny wooden box from his pocket and opened it in front of me, revealing a ring. It was sterling silver, with a beautiful irregular oval shaped turquoise stone in the center, accented by its sides by the most intricate stamp work and silver overlay of Quileute symbols in a mesmerizing design. It was so beautiful I had to hold my breath.

I looked up from the ring to see his expectant face. I knew it was my turn to speak, but I couldn't. My throat and vocal cords had decided to stop working in the most crucial of moments. I looked down at the ring again, could it be possible to be _this_ blessed, _this_ happy, _this_ complete? I looked up at Jacob again and knew I had to speak soon, otherwise he'd think the worst, think I didn't love him.

Both our pulses where quick and our breaths were held. I opened my mouth to speak but couldn't say anything. Dammit Nessie, say yes!!! Jacob was already beginning to lower his gaze from mine so I did the only thing I could do, I placed my hands on his face and projected anything and everything I was feeling. I knew he'd have a hard time understanding my confused thoughts, but it was better than sitting there like a mute idiot.

He opened his eyes once I was done and I saw tears in them, mirroring my own. He started laughing and soon so did I. We were wiping each other's tears and laughing out loud, holding our faces close together, examining each other as if it were the first time. He pulled my chin toward him and kissed me sweetly, deepening the kiss as I tangled my hands in his hair.

He pulled away much too soon but I was reluctant to let go, so I used all my strength to pull his lips back to mine. The second time he pulled away I decided to let go, knowing I had the rest of forever to kiss him, just like dad had promised.

"So… you're saying yes?"

"Yes…I'm saying yes."

"So, would you mind putting this on?" – He took the ring out of the box and placed in on my finger, fitting perfectly.

"Where did you get this?" – My real question was "how long have you had this?" something he understood because of what he answered.

"I bought it the first time I realized I was in love with you."

"What? When was that?" – I remembered showing him with my hands the first time I'd seen him differently, when we had declared our love for one another. But all this time I had forgotten to ask _him_.

"It was on your fifth birthday party. From the moment I got to the house and saw you, man… something came over me. I really lost it, my hands got all sweaty and my heart started beating faster and my stomach was so nervous I thought I'd throw up." – He chuckled, remembering the moment. – "I wanted to hold you and touch you and kiss you like crazy… Edward almost kicked me out of the party, he said he'd kill me if I told you about imprinting, because up until then it hadn't been an issue; I was fine not telling you but right then and there, I was just about to burst out into a full love confession. I have to tell you, it took every bit of will power to not declare my love, especially when you looked so good and insisted on keeping me with you even after the party was over."

"That was because by then I was already crazy about you." – He smiled at me and kissed me one more time, stopping only to continue his story.

"So that day, after your party, I ran like crazy to the jeweler and drew up this design."

"You mean you designed this?" – How could this ring be anymore perfect?

"Yeah, it's handmade too… and the carvings on it, they're Quileute symbols… they mean "eternal love", I know it's kinda cheesy, but it was the only thing I could come up with."

"I love it, it couldn't be more perfect. So, you've had it this entire time?"

"I was just waiting for the right moment, I thought I'd wait a few years, wait till you got done with school and college, wait till I could afford a place, until I got a better job… but with Sam's death…" – He paused, his mask of pain returning slightly. – "I thought, why wait… if Sam and Emily would have waited, they would have missed so many years being married. Do you think I'm crazy, because if you're not ready… we could wait?"

"I don't want to wait… I have nothing but time to finish school and college; I practically know everything they'll teach me anyway. And money and a place… we could practically live in a teepee and I wouldn't mind, as long as I can be with you, call you mine."

"I've always been yours, since before you were born." – My heart was throbbing with happiness at his words. But then I remembered reality and slightly panicked.

"There's only one problem… who's gonna tell dad?" – Jacob's face radically changed, whether truthfully or for dramatic effect, I don't know.

"I'm so dead."

**Thank you so much for your reviews, they brighten my days, seriously. **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter!!! I thought I'd bring some hope and good news into the mix, plus these two are about ready to burst if they don't get together so I figured they do it the "right way" (just paying my respects to wonderful Edward's wishes)**


	21. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and I do not own any of the characters in the Twilight Series. I'm just a fan having a little fun. No copywrite infringement intended.**

**Chapter 20**

**Jacob's POV**

"There's only one problem… who's gonna tell dad?"

"I'm so dead." – And I was, literally D-E-A-D… _dead. _Edward was sure to rip my lungs out; the leech isn't anything if not traditional. He would have wanted me to ask him first or wait until she was legally 18 (in non-human years) or wait till she came back from college; either way, I knew he wouldn't be pleased.

"Maybe he won't freak out." – Ness as always was trying to calm me, to look at things positively; but I knew better.

"Ness, have you _met_ your father?" – She giggled nervously at my joke, relaxing me slightly.

"You know what, on second thought, give me the ring back." – Ness started laughing even louder, playfully pulling away as I pretended to try and take the ring from her.

When we were done goofing around, Ness got up and started pacing.

"We have to come up with a plan, not just blurt it out." – She continued to think hard while all my mind could focus on was how pretty she looked in that dress and how once we got married, I wouldn't have to restrain myself as much.

"Wait… were you thinking about proposing during the ceremony?"

"Of course."

"Well, dad was sitting right behind us; he would have heard you right? So if he were against it, he would have stopped you."

"You think?"

"Yeah, I mean, he even saw us leave and didn't do anything!!!"

"I don't know Ness… it just doesn't seem like him."

"Well there's only one way to find out."

Nessie and I turned out to be the worst of chickens, aimlessly walking through the woods for hours, delaying the decisive moment. After a while it was clear we needed to head back so we braced ourselves and ran straight to the big house.

When we went in they were all there, every last leech, just my luck. Bella was lying on top of Edward's piano as he played, reading a book. Carlisle and Esme were sitting in the living room sofa deep in conversation as Emmett sat to their side with his feet on the coffee table, screaming at the flat screen TV, watching a football game. Pixie was twirling like a ballerina all around the room, with her headphones on, stopping only to take Jasper's hands and dance with him for a bit before letting him get back to a serious game of chess with Blondie. Who knew blonds could play chess? That was definitely a joke for later… if I were still alive that is.

There was no point in delaying this any longer, so I just stepped inside the living room and cleared my throat.

"Something on your mind Jacob?" – Edward glanced at me but kept playing.

"Actually, there is."

"Would it have something to do with why Bella kept shielding yours and Nessie's thoughts all day?" – My heart sunk; I was beginning to delude myself into thinking that he was ok with it because he already knew… I didn't expect this. Bella looked up from her book and stuck her tongue at Edward, making him frown at her.

I turned to look at Nessie, half expecting she'd know what to do, but she looked just as staggered as me.

"So, are you going to answer me Jacob? My wife thinks it's funny to cover for you, to indulge your little indiscretions by keeping them from me. Now, I can't actually force her to take off the shield, because I love her and because she's the most stubborn woman I know, but you… I can certainly _persuade_ you to tell me." – He looked truly menacing and all I could do was stand there like an idiot, partly because I was afraid and mostly because I didn't understand. Why would Bella shield our thoughts? I hadn't told her about my plans and unless Edward's mind reading abilities had rubbed off on her, there was no way she could know.

"Edward, you're overreacting… nothing happened." – Bella took a sitting position on the piano and rolled her eyes at him.

"I'd like Jacob to tell me that."

"Edward, I really don't know what's going on… Bells, why did you shield us?"

"Because I told her about… about what happened in the forest, after the first fight." – Nessie looked so embarrassed that she didn't even blush. The mood changed abruptly, everyone dropped what they were doing and left the house quickly, leaving only the two of us with Edward and Bella.

Edward turned his gaze toward Nessie. – "And what was that?"

Nessie hesitated and I knew I needed to step in, because I couldn't stand to see Edward look at her with anger; a minute longer and I'd kick his ass.

"We decided to sleep together… but we didn't, the whole werewolf thing interrupted us." – Honesty seemed like the best policy, considering I needed to get on his good side since I was about to ask for his only daughter's hand in marriage.

"I told you, you didn't want to know." – Bella said to Edward, smiling at him, trying to lighten the mood.

"You decided? You _decided_? I thought I made it clear that you needed to respect my daughter's honor."

"I am… I mean, I will."

"I highly doubt it, now that I know you were doing god knows what and in the forest of all places."

"It won't happen again."

"How can I know that?"

"Because… because I just asked her to marry me." – The look on both Edward and Bella's faces was priceless, and would have been hilarious on another occasion were there wasn't so much at stake.

"You what?!!!" – Bella's humorous lighthearted face went away and I knew she wouldn't be on my side this time. Nessie was the one to answer her.

"He asked me to marry him and I said yes." – Bella and Edward looked at each other and then at us.

"That's insane!!! You're not even done with school!!! What about college?" – I was surprised to see that it was Bells and not Edward the one getting worked up about this.

"We love each other." – My answer was stupid and pretty obvious and redundant, but I felt like I needed to say something… anything.

"Be quiet Jacob Black!!! Don't even get me started on you!!! How dare you!!! First you imprint on _my_ baby and now you propose to her!!! She's barely legal!!!"

"You weren't concerned about her being legal when you knew we were fooling around!!!" – Edward I had a problem yelling at, but not Bells; there's something about her that makes me become straightforward, maybe because I trust her so much and maybe because she gets on my nerves… a lot.

"Oh shut up!!! You're such a stupid adolescent!!! I'm not letting my baby girl get married like that… she's not some… some brainless small time teenager getting knocked up and married before she can even vote!!!"

"You got married when you were eighteen!!!"

"That… that's different… those were special circumstances you know very well about!!!"

"Oh, because Edward convinced you… because he wouldn't sleep with you unless you were married… because it was a bargaining chip for him to turn you into a leech?!!!"

"Oh, don't tell me your intentions are any more honorable!!! You just can't wait to get into my daughter's pants and don't want the guilt that comes along with it!!!"

"I hate to break it to you Bells, but we weren't really planning on waiting. I want to marry her because I know I'm spending the rest of my life with her and I don't want to go another minute without being her husband!!!"

"You have forever to marry her!!! I didn't have that with Edward but you do!!! So why rush it?!!!"

"Because we might not have forever… look at Sam and Emily."

Bella was about to keep going but hesitated. I was astonished that Edward had let me yell at her that way without stepping in, and even more so that he hadn't voiced his opinion.

"I'm sorry… but you're not getting married." – She said it much more calmly, but still a little pissed.

"Bells…" – I was down to pleading, even begging.

"No Jake." – She crossed her arms over her chest like a little girl throwing a tantrum, and far from looking adorable, I wanted to kill her.

"Mom, you made your choice six years ago… now let me make mine."

"You're too young."

"Mom, in a year I'll stop growing, I'll stay this young forever. No matter how much I wait, I will still get married as a teenager. That's what freaks you out right?"

Bella took in a long annoyed breath and turned toward Edward, asking for backup. This is it… it's over. Once Edward opens his mouth whatever hope I had of marrying this girl will vanish; because while Bella is irrational and impulsive, Edward always manages to sound totally right and convincing. Damn leech.

"I'm sorry… Bella." – Ness and I both did a double take at his words… didn't he mean "I'm sorry _Nessie_"?

"Jacob, you have my blessing." – Ok, this is a joke right? I come over here to ask for Nessie's hand in marriage and not only do I get a freaking _blessing_ from Edward, but no big moral speech?

"Say again?" – I was sure I got it wrong.

"You have my blessing." – Bella was fuming at him. If looks could kill, Edward would definitely be a goner. – "I'm sorry love, but they're right… life can be taken away so abruptly; I don't want to stand in the way of our daughter's happiness. We knew this day would come eventually." – He was speaking to her with such love and intimacy that I felt bad for in listening, like I was intruding on something sacred.

"But not so soon… we've only had her for five years… I'm not ready to let go."

"I'm not going anywhere momma… I'm still your daughter."

"No… you're too young… tell her she's too young Edward."

"I can't love… I'm sorry, but I know what it's like to wait your whole life for someone, and then finally find her and want to marry her. I got you… now it's only fair that Jacob gets his Nessie."

"He already has her… they can be together as much as they want, there's no need to get married." – Bella turned toward Ness. – "Renesmee honey, marrying Jacob hadn't crossed your mind before, why now? If he hadn't asked you, you would still be alright with just being with him. Give yourself a chance to consider it, not just say yes because you love him."

I began to panic, would Bella be able to convince Nessie? I didn't even turn to look at her, not wanting to persuade her or influence her in any way. I just held my breath and waited for her answer.

"I've been dreaming of marrying Jacob since I can remember; just because we hadn't actually discussed it doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about it. Jacob has had the ring since my fifth birthday… I mean… we _have_ waited. If it had been up to me, I probably would have eloped the night we confessed our love to each other… I know this is meant to be, so why wait?"

Edward looked at me amused, probably because of what Ness said about the ring. I really didn't mean for anyone but _her_ to know that little bit of information and felt really embarrassed… who knew I could be such a girl.

Bella just sat there perplexed, looking from Nessie to me as if trying to make up her mind, until finally her eyes stopped dead on me.

"Promise to not be a jerk?"

"Promise."

"Promise to not be impulsive or reckless or insensitive?"

"Promise."

"Promise to take even better care of her than we do?

"Promise."

"Good, cause remember Jake: I may be your best friend but I'm still your mother in law _and_ a vampire… so watch it." – That was it, Bella's approval. It wasn't elegant or eloquent or anything you'd hear in movie, if anything it was nearly a death threat, but it was classic Bella and _it was_ an approval. Suddenly I didn't feel like killing her anymore; more like hugging her and calling her "mom" just to mess with her. She was giving me her _only_ child; no matter how hard I try, I could never repay her for the gift of Nessie, never repay her for loving Nessie when nobody else would, for defender her when I didn't, for bringing her into this world at the expense of her own life, and for now, after all that, handing her over to a freaking dog.

Edward stepped forward interrupting my thoughts and hugged Nessie tightly.

"Congratulations my darling."

Then he came over to me, but instead of just nodding or shaking my hand as usual, he went for the hug. My insides squirmed at his closeness and touch, but this was my baby's father for crying out loud; if he wanted a hug, I'd give him one. He patted my back and whispered in my ear – "Welcome to the family… mess up and your dead." – I knew this was too good to be true; all it needed was a little death threat from Edward to make it right.

When I stepped back from Edward I saw that Bella was hugging Nessie, whispering so softly in her ear that I couldn't make out anything. After a few moments she gazed up at me and extended one arm toward me, inviting me to a hug. So I approached and she wrapped her arm around me, keeping us both close to her. After a few minutes she stepped back and did the weirdest thing, she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Ok… you can come in now." – I had no idea what she was talking about until the room instantly filled with vampires… the Cullens… my family. They were so fast that one minute we were alone and the next, I was surrounded by them. I took Nessie's hand, nervous about what they might say; if Bella who loves me and has always loved me freaked out, I couldn't imagine what the rest of them would do.

"Yeah, welcome to the family!!!" – Emmett was clapping loudly. –"Excited about the honeymoon? – He put his hand on my shoulder and smiled suggestively. Bella smacked him across the chest, making him flinch slightly and then chuckle as he put his arm around her, pulling her head down under his chest and messing up her hair.

"We're so happy for you Nessie… and you Jacob." – Esme looked like she was about to cry, if she could anyway; and even Carlisle was a bit emotional, smiling so brightly his eyes were sparkling.

Pixie was balancing on the balls of her feet, back and forth, giggling like a giddy child. I could only imagine all the horrible things her head was already concocting for our wedding. By now, I'm guessing she already had picked out in her mind the theme, decorations, flavor of cake, centerpieces, color of the bridesmaid's dresses, Nessie's dress and hairdo and my tuxedo. I inhaled loudly, gulping slightly at the thought of everything that had to be done, not to mention the pressure and annoyance I would have to put up with.

I turned and realized Blondie was standing just a few feet from us. Nessie squeezed my hand and I could actually feel her anxiety radiating onto me. I braced myself for the worst as well but quickly realized there was no need to, not from the way Blondie was looking at Nessie. She looked absolutely positively happy. First Edward doesn't kill me and now Blondie is… _happy_? For a moment I actually considered the possibly that she hadn't understood what was going on, maybe all my dumb blond jokes weren't so far off?

"Nessie… I always dreamed of watching you get married, of having you get everything I always wanted for my own life… and now you will… and I'm so very proud of you." – Nessie threw herself at her and hugged her. – "Thank you for supporting me aunt Rosie… I love you… thank you."

Blondie looked up at me once they broke the hug.

"Just promise to tuck your shirt in for the wedding." – She glanced down at my un-tucked shirt, making a disgusted face; there she is, the Blondie I know. I couldn't help but smile.

"If you promise to not upstage the bride's dress with some crazy getup." – I mirrored her by looking up and down at her over-the-top costume of a funeral dress. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. – "Fine." – Everyone laughed out loud and I was able to exhale, relieved.

After Nessie had to retell how I proposed about a thousand times to Pixie, after everyone appraised the engagement ring and I had to sustain Emmett's jokes, we were just about ready to call it a night. Bella and Edward stayed behind in the big house while we headed back to the cottage.

"I'm so tired." – I sat on Nessie's bed, unbuttoning my shirt and taking off my shoes, which were a really big pain considering I never wear shoes, much less stiff dress shoes.

Nessie came over, wearing her pajamas, to stand in front of me, running her hands through my hair. I pulled her shirt up and kissed her belly, loving the feel of her soft skin on my lips.

"You know… now that we're engaged…" – I looked up at her only to find her giving me a sexy ass smile. Damn, just when I thought I'd do things right.

"You don't want to wait for the honeymoon?" – I was beyond pretending I could stop myself; maybe I could before, when it felt wrong to want her this way, but once you mentally give in, there's no going back. I braced myself for her answer.

"Do _you _want to?" – Did I want to? It was kind of hard to think straight, with Nessie looking so damn sexy in her pj's, her hair already loose out of her bun and no makeup. This was my fiancé!!! Renesmee Cullen is my fiancé!!! I smiled almost to myself, thinking I really was a lucky bastard. My fiancée, the most amazing woman in the world, was standing in front of me asking me to choose between doing things "the right way" and waiting, or making love to her, something I'd been craving for way too long. Either choice led me to her, so at least _that_ was easy.

"I don't know." – And I really didn't. Nessie continued to run her hands through my hair, willing me to say yes; but the truth was, I was really tired and really wanted to be my best for something like this. – "I'm very tired… it's been a long two days… _really_ long."

"You're right, I'm sleepy too." – She climbed on the bed as I finished getting undressed, keeping only my boxers on as I lay down next to her.

"Jake? Is Emily alone tonight?" – I felt like a jerk for being so happy to have forgotten all about Emily for a moment. Nessie's eyes looked sad and worried, as she scanned my face.

"She left."

"What? What do you mean she left?"

"She left right after the funeral; said she couldn't handle the burial. They're doing something private, just Sam's pack, but she decided from the beginning that she wouldn't go. So she went back home with her family; we're supposed to go over to the cabin tomorrow to pack up everything and ship it to her."

"You think she'll be alright? I mean… I would die if I didn't have you… just die." – I felt a pressure come down on me when she said that. Just the thought of my Nessie dying of sorrow was enough to make my heart hurt. I felt like a fool for ever being careless or impulsive or overconfident; for ever taking my life for granted, knowing it belonged to her but not realizing what its loss would do to her.

"I don't know Ness… all I know is Emily is strong. She'll get by… and I don't think Sam is really gone, he doesn't feel completely gone, maybe that's why she's holding up, because maybe he's somehow still with her, still protecting her, still loving her."

Ness nodded, her eyes closing slightly. I decided to stop talking and let her sleep.

"Sleep baby." – I said as I kissed the tip of her nose.

"We're engaged." – She whispered, her eyes already shut, drifting into sleep.

"Thank you for saying yes." – I whispered back. Even half asleep, she smiled.

"Thank you for asking."

**This one's short but I couldn't wait to update. I don't get a lot of free time to write so to not keep you in the dark for too long, the following chapters might be smaller than the previous ones. Hope you like… tell me what you think!!!! Plus, give me ideas on places Nessie and Jacob could go on their honeymoon!!! Even if I don't respond, I read all of your reviews and go crazy over them, good or bad, I love them. Thank you!!!**


	22. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters; I'm just a fan having fun. No copywrite infringement intended.**

**Chapter 21**

**Jacob's POV**

I woke up with my face buried in Nessie's curls. She had her back to me, completely wrapped in my arms. I took in a deep breath, soaking in her delicious scent; I was just about to whisper something in her ear when I smelled something awful… vampire.

I jumped out of bed with a start, my heart beating wildly from the rude awakening.

Pixie was sitting on top of Nessie's dresser; her legs crossed one on top of the other, her eyes wide with anticipation.

"What – the – hell?!!! Are you insane?!!! You almost gave me a heart attack!!!" – My yelling woke Nessie up, sitting up on the bed rubbing her eyes, not nearly as stunned as me.

"What's going on?"

"Your crazy aunt is what's going on!!! How long have you been sitting there?!!!" – The crazy leech just sat there, completely unmoved by my yelling.

"Well?" – I pressed on, completely freaked out about the idea of sleeping with a bloodsucker spying on me. She simply smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, don't be such a stiff doggy!!! I was just waiting for you to wake up… do you know you talk in your sleep?"

"Alice." – Nessie gave her a warning look, shaking her head slightly.

"What? It's not like you were naked or anything." – Pixie was still smiling brightly.

"You're insane… do you have _any_ concept of boundaries?"

"Nope." – She shook her head and smiled even wider.

I turned to look at Ness and found she was giggling. I took in a deep breath to relax myself, still a bit edgy from waking up in such a startling way.

"Would you mind telling us why you're here, aunty?"

"Well… I've been waiting impatiently for you two lovebirds to wake up, but jeez, you were out cold!!!" – She got down from the dresser in one swift move and began pacing around the room, almost dancing, with her voice ringing like a bell.

"We have so much to do!!! I spend the entire night thinking about the wedding… I have several choices for you, from the theme to the flowers to the food!!! It's all thought off, I just need you to choose from the options I have and presto!!!... How do you feel about a French theme?"

Nessie and I both turned to look at each other, more than a little stunned from Pixie's words. And then, almost in sink, we both yelled – "Get out!!!" – Pointing to the door.

"What? But… but I stayed up all night planning." – She pouted, the kind of pout I've seen her pull out with Bella when she won't go shopping.

"Alice… you don't sleep, you _always_ stay up all night." – Nessie was trying to put on an angry face but I knew she was more amused than anything else.

"Fine, whatever… the point is, you need to get both your tushies up!!!"

"I don't think so Alice… we just got engaged yesterday… can't you let us enjoy it before you torture us?"

"Torture… _torture_? Is planning the most important day of your life torture? Excuse me for caring."

"Don't even start Pixie." – I warned, getting up from the bed and ignoring her snickering upon seeing my boxers. I walked to the corner and began putting on my clothes.

"Alice… I promise I'll let you help out but right now, we're just going to give it some time, at least a few days before we get into the whole "planning" business."

"Give it some time?!!! If you give it some time next thing you know you'll be having the reception in the middle of the forest with plastic fold up chairs and a hot dog stand instead of catering!!!"

"That's not a bad idea." – I shrugged smiling at Nessie. Next thing I know, one of Nessie's shoes was flying through the air directly at my face. I barely dodged it and turned to find Pixie, arms crossed and pissed.

"That's not even funny!!!"

"It's kinda funny." – I smiled back, making Nessie giggle; the best sound in the world.

"Oh come on Alice… can't you just let it go for once? I promise we'll have a beautiful wedding, but could you just lay off for a while?" – It was Ness' turn to work the charm, pouting and bating her eyelashes at Pixie.

"Fine… but once you're ready… I already have a scrapbook with tons of ideas… ok?"

Nessie nodded and Pixie finally walked out of the room, looking a bit defeated and a lot discouraged; I was just beginning to feel sorry for her when she stuck her tongue out at me just before disappearing… damn little ankle biter. Nessie and I exhaled in relief.

"That was good… for a moment there I thought she'd convince you."

"I know… but I'm not about to let her turn something happy and relaxed into some big production."

"You know she's going to anyway."

"Yeah, well at least I'm postponing it." – Nessie smiled and looked down at her ring, which surprisingly matched perfectly in style with the bracelet I gave her on her first Christmas, the one she wore for so long without knowing its meaning. – "On second thought, why postpone?"

She pulled me by my pants, the same dress one's I'd worn at the funeral, making me drop on top of her on the bed. She had her naughty smile on and I wasn't about to ruin the moment by going all Edward on her and saying we should wait. So I gave in, kissing her delicious lips and shivering upon feeling her tongue tracing mine. I wondered if I'd ever get tired of her taste… probably not. She was pulling me closer to her, changing from a seating position to lying back on the bed. I could feel her hands clumsily trying to unbutton my dress pants and couldn't help but chuckle a bit at how inexperienced we both were.

"So, getting a honeymoon advance?" – I jumped off the bed and turned, only to find Emmett standing by the door, his arms and legs crossed and his huge frame leaning against the wall, a malicious smile playing on his lips.

"Oh, please… don't let me stop you." – He raised his hands up in the air, palms extended, faking innocence. Nessie threw her pillow at him and when I turned to her I saw she was severely flushed.

"Oh come on, lighten up… it's not like I'm telling Edward on you." – Emmett winked at her but unlike all the times before; this time his charm didn't work on Ness.

"What the hell do you want?"- Emmett turned his attention to me, the malicious smile replaced by an eager grin.

"Well… I was thinking… more like hoping… if you would let me marry you, you know, be the minister at your wedding." – Ok, where the hell did _that_ come from? I was starting to regret this already, not the marrying Nessie, but the going through the whole "tradition" and involving her wacky family.

I was surprised when Nessie started laughing.

"Uncle Em, are you serious?" – He looked taken aback and somewhat offended.

"Of course I am!!! Why wouldn't I be? I'm taking one of those internet courses, you just study some shit and take a test and you're good to go. I mean, how cool would that be?"

"Emmett man, you've banged your head if you think I'm letting you marry us."

"What? Why? Why not?"

"Uncle Em, you just referred to the minister studies as "some shit"… I mean, come on!!!" – Nessie was smiling lightly and amused, already warming up to him even after his intrusion.

"Oh come on you guys!!! Would you rather have some stranger who doesn't even know you do it? Plus, wedding ceremonies tend to be really boring… I would make it fun!!! I've always wanted some cool funny guy marry Rosalie and me, but every time she gets some famous minister to do it. Please don't spoil my fun!!!"

"Fun? Our wedding isn't about fun… it's serious and important and… romantic."

"Don't even think you're fooling us Emmett… when you say "fun" you mean "fun for _you_, not us". I don't even want to think about all the perverted things you'd plan on saying."

He started laughing, obviously caught. The damn leech actually thought he'd trick us into letting him stand up in front of all our friends and family in our _wedding _and make it into some one man stand-up comedy… the topic being our virginity or horny-ness or some shit like that.

"Just get out."

"Fine, fine. Maybe on your second wedding?"

"Get out!!!" – We yelled in unison, making him chuckle and raise his hands in the universal sign of "surrender"; turning on his heels and leaving the room, but not before turning back to take hold of the door knob.

"You want me to close the door… you know… so you can get on with it."

"Emmett… I swear…" – He disappeared before I could finish my threat, leaving the door hanging open.

I turned back to Nessie, who was still sitting on the bed.

"Anyone else?" – I called out, expecting it to be a joke… only to be surprised when someone cleared their throat. I turned, eyes wide and incredulous, when I saw Blondie standing by the door, twirling her hair with her fingers.

"You've got to be kidding me Blondie."

"Sorry pup, but I need to speak with Nessie."

"It's gonna have to wait." – She raised her eyebrows, a move that had nothing spontaneous about it, more like decades of acting, exaggerating and manipulating practice.

"Oh, so now that she's your fiancée you think you own her? That's so typical macho attitude."

I was about two seconds from snapping, so I opted for the high road and walked to the door.

"Fine she's all yours… I'm running home for clothes, be back in a sec." – Nessie nodded and gave me an apologetic smile, mouthing the word "hurry".

When I returned to the cottage I found Ness already dressed and waiting on the front door steps. She had on my favorite green dress, looking so damn beautiful that it became hard to breathe. I got out of the car and walked up to her, trying to compose my nerves. I felt so foolish, this girl was about to become my _wife_ and just the sight of her turned me into a fumbling idiot; good thing she loves me enough not to notice.

"Hey… are you waiting for any other prying vamps or me?" – She giggled and got up.

"Nope, just you… finished with the last one a few minutes ago."

"Are you serious? You mean it didn't stop at Blondie? – She shook her head, smiling.

"Aunt Rosalie wanted to offer her help on the preparations and offered to pay for everything. It's been a while since she and uncle Em had a wedding and she always dreamed of doing the sixth one in Buckingham Palace, so she offered to take us all there."

I buried my face in my hands and groaned, more for show than anything else.

"Damn… how do you feel about driving to Vegas? Come on, I just filled up on gas." – I pretended to walk back to the car making her laugh out loud and come over to pretend to stop me.

"Come on Jake… we can handle it." – I sighed and stopped walking, taking her by the waist and pulling her toward me.

"You said no right? To Blondie?"

"Mmmm… I think Buckingham Palace would be wonderful." – She was messing with me, I could tell. So I started tickling her, making her squirm to get out of my grip.

"Ok… ok… I said no!!! I said no!!!" – She continued to laugh even after I stopped the tickling.

"So who came after Blondie?"

"Guess."

"Mmm… I don't know… Jasper wanting to be there for the consummation?"- She laughed even harder at my joke, which considering her family, wasn't so far off.

"Good guess… but no."

"Then who?"

"Dad… wanting to know what I plan to do with school."

"Oh… I hadn't thought of that."

"I don't think it's a big deal… I mean, I'm probably going to turn eighteen and stop growing, so I'm probably going to go through high school like ten thousand times in my life time… who cares if I don't finish _this_ time around."

"Well, don't you want to graduate with your friends?"

"I don't care… besides, I can talk to the principal and maybe skip classes and just take a test. But let's not talk about that now… it's Sunday… we spend half the weekend fighting werewolves… what do you want to do?"

"Well… I have to go over to Emily's and help out with the packing… you wanna come? – I really didn't feel like spending an entire Sunday morning packing up someone else's things, specially the day after proposing to the love of my life, but it had to be done.

"Sure."

**Nessie's POV**

My heart was racing the entire ride over to Emily's. I don't think Jacob ever looked more sexy or handsome or gorgeous. This was idiotic; I've known him my entire life, we've been together for more than six months, and he still gives me butterflies in my stomach and still makes my hands sweat like a dork.

I started daydreaming about our honeymoon, or should I say, our honeymoon _night._ The butterflies went crazy at the thought; all the times we came close to something and now, hopefully very soon, we'd finally go through with it. As if he'd read my thoughts, he turned to look at me, catching the way I was looking at him and hitting the brakes on the car so abruptly that it swerved slightly before stopping.

"What…" – He leaned toward me before I could go on and began kissing me. I was thanking my lucky stars for giving me such an amazing man and for finally being away from the house and my crazy family to be able to do this, but then, out of the blue, he pulled back.

"Ness, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Anything." – My voice came out embarrassingly like a pant.

"Stop looking at me that way… you're making it too hard to do things the right way."

"That doesn't matter to me."

"It does to me." – I took a moment to deliberate, scanning his face just mere inches from mine, his eyes blazing and his lips begging to be kissed. But he was right, it did matter, not only to him but to me, to be able to look back and know we waited.

"Fine… "– I sat back on my seat, arms crossed, and saw him half smile as he hit the gas and continued driving. – "But you also need to not look so irresistible all the time, ok?"

He glanced at me and smiled wider. - "Fine."

When we got to Emily's and I saw the guys, it suddenly struck me that none of them know about our engagement.

"Are you going to tell them?"

"Sure… why? Are you nervous?"

"No." – I lied, because until now I hadn't realized just how much Jacob's pack's opinion means to me. They are his family after all and to be accepted into his world, knowing I'm not Quileute, means the world to me.

When we got out of the car Quil and Embry were walking out of the cabin with four boxes each, headed toward the moving van Emily must have rented.

"Hey man… hey Ness… we're already done with the living room… you should start with the bedroom, the boxes are over there." – Quil signaled with his chin toward a stack of empty cardboard boxes.

"Be sure to label them." – Embry said, smiling at me.

Jared and Paul were sitting outside on the ground wrapping plates and pots and glasses in bubble-wrap and placing them in boxes marked "fragile", while Brady and Collin came out carrying a dresser and a dinning cabinet each. I wasn't surprised by Leah's absence; going through a house full of pictures and memories and stories of Emily and Sam's love isn't exactly something she would want to do. I was however surprised to find Seth missing as well.

"Where's Seth?"

"He stuck around with Leah… she didn't want to be the only one not coming to help." – Answered Embry, even though I was asking Jacob.

"Should we start?" – Jacob signaled to the cabin and immediately I relaxed, knowing he didn't plan on announcing the good news _right now_.

It felt wrong to go into Emily and Sam's bedroom, like a complete intrusion of privacy, considering I practically knew every room in the house _except_ for this one. I felt a pressure in my heart when I opened the door and was greeted by Sam's scent. I was unable to fake composure and stopped dead on the door frame, afraid to go in any further.

Jacob put his hands on my shoulders and whispered soothingly. –"It's ok Ness, I know it's hard, but we have to do it… for Emily's sake."

I took a deep breath through my mouth and walked in, unable to stop myself from taking in every detail in the room. The bed was still made, with a beautiful woven Quileute bedspread and matching pillow cases. There were over a dozen picture frames either hanging on the wall or on top of the antique dresser, all with pictures of Sam and Emily. There was one of Emily eating cereal in bed in her pajamas, her hair disheveled and her eyes fixed not on the camera but on the photographer, which by the glimmer in her eyes was sure to be Sam. There was one of them with Sam's entire pack, back when Jacob and the other's still belonged; they where all sitting in the cabin's dining room, a huge meal spread out in front of them on the table and Sam and Emily standing in the background, Emily wearing her favorite apron while Sam hugged her from behind. I lingered a little longer on that particular picture, because despite the fact that if appeared to be a happy occasion, and despite the fact that everyone had huge grins on, Jacob looked sad. It was an expression I'd yet to see in him, not even when we've fought or at Sam's funeral, this look was a look of complete despair and hopelessness. I took in his younger appearance and his shortly cropped hair and realized it was around the time he loved mom, around the time that dad had returned and claimed her. My irrational jealousy came back to me in a flash, seeing before me the proof that mom could actually cause the amount of pain visible in his eyes, readable in an old photograph.

I turned to look at him, finding him busy taking out Sam's clothes out of the closet, folding them and placing them inside a box he'd already labeled "Sam".

I swallowed hard and closed my eyes, wishing the image of Jacob would vanish from my mind, hoping I could just take down the old picture frame and stuff it inside a box and forget about it. So I did just that, began to abruptly pull down all the frames without looking at the pictures, tossing them inside an empty box.

"Hey, careful Ness… shouldn't you wrap them in newspaper or something first?" – Jacob was looking at me, confused by my carelessness and obvious disregard, if not animosity, toward the pictures. All I could do was shrug and murmur "fine", to which he frowned but continued his work.

I took a deep breath and continued with the frames, relieved when I found that the rest of the pictures were only of Sam and Emily and occasionally her mother, his mother and other close relatives. I made it to the dresser only to find another picture with Jacob in it, but this one was different, much different.

He had the most beautiful expression on his face, filled with warmth and fulfillment and joy. Emily and Sam were standing on either side of him smiling toward the camera, and in his arms, his huge protective arms, lay a tiny baby girl staring up at him with huge amazed brown eyes, her tiny head still bald only for the few curls beginning to show. Even as a tiny child, there was awe and love in my innocent eyes.

"You changed my world." – I jumped up at his voice and the feeling of his breath in the back of my neck; I'd been so entranced by the photograph that I hadn't noticed Jacob standing behind me. He surrounded my waist with his arms and rested his chin on my shoulder, peering at the picture in my hands. – "I was dead before you came along… only I didn't know it."

"You mean… when you were heartbroken over mom?" – I didn't think it would slip out, but it did. I knew it was stupid to not let it go, stupid to compare a normal teenage love to what we have, but the image of his sad face wouldn't leave me, so I needed him to say something, anything to make it go away.

"Where did _that_ come from? – His voice was light and even somewhat amused. I shrugged, unsure if I should show him the photograph.

"Ness?"

"I just… I saw something… but it's nothing."

"It's not "nothing" if you brought it up." – He sighed and turned toward the box I was packing, rummaging through it.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for whatever pissed you off."

"I'm not pissed off."

"Well, you wouldn't know it from the way you were tossing these things around."

"Jake… come on, I'm not angry… it's nothing." – He stopped looking through the frames and turned toward me, holding up a particular photograph. He was looking at it with a frown and I didn't have to see it to know it was the photo I'd seen. After a minute he looked up at me.

"Ness… what do you think this means?"

"It means you were heartbroken over mom… it's alright though, I just… I just didn't like to see you look like that… over her." – Jake smiled and looked down, shaking his head.

"Oh Ness… are you ever going to let this go? Are you ever going to understand?"

"Understand what?"

"Understand that I never actually loved her… it was you all along, I just didn't know, but it was you. Your genes were in her, that's why I was so drawn to her and that's why once you were actually present, actually alive and conceived inside her, I loved her even more… at least I thought it was her, only it was you. So to have her away from me, to have her prefer Edward, it was torture, because all along it was you that was away from me, you the one I couldn't be with. Do you get it baby… do you actually get it… this is me, sad over you." – He held the picture up and pointed at his sad destroyed face and I suddenly felt like a fool for going nuts.

"Sorry."

"Don't be." – He threw the frame back in the box and pulled me close to him, pressing his forehead to mine. – "I actually like it when you're jealous… what I don't like is you hurting yourself with stupid ideas."

"Hey you guys… are you helping or just making out in here?!!!" – Quil was standing in the doorway with his hands on his hips.

"Shut up Quil."

"Is that an order big alpha?" – Jacob laughed at this and pulled back to look at him. – "Would you quit calling me that?"

"Oh, sorry "your eminence", it slipped out." – Quil bowed at Jake, making us both laugh.

"Hey, need any help in here?" – Embry walked in the door, smiling upon seeing us all laughing.

"They need a lot of help, considering they've been in here smooching instead of packing."

Embry and Quil began pulling out Emily's clothes out of the dresser and packing them, while Jacob continued filling the "Sam" box. I took out some bubble-wrap and continued with the frames, properly protecting them this time.

"Ness… could you hand me another box?"

I reached for an empty box next to me and handed it to Quil, who instead of just taking it held on to it looking rather alarmingly at my hand. I wasn't sure what he was looking at until he yelled out –"No!!! No way!!! Did… did you get engaged?!!!"

I pulled my hand away but it was too late. A second later Jared, Paul, Collin and Brady were standing at the door, looking in with excitement. I glanced at Jacob, feeling my face flush.

"Did you?"

"Yeah, we did." – Jake had a huge grin on, which grew surprisingly wider once all the wolves toppled over him to hug him and shake his hand. Even Paul who's always trying to get on his bad side was acting like a decent human being; congratulating him and patting him on the back.

"Man, this is exactly what we need… something to celebrate!!!" – Jared playfully punched Jake in the arm and smiled encouragingly at me. Whatever fears I had of not being accepted where long gone after that.

"So when's the party?!!!"

"We haven't set a date yet… but soon." – Jake gave me a knowing look, aware of just how desperate we both were to get married.

"So… um… who's gonna be your best man?" – Quil was looking down at the floor, glancing slightly up at Jake and then returning. Jared and Paul started laughing and nodded to Collin and Brady to leave the room.

"Luck man." – Said Jared as he went past Jake. Embry was the first to speak.

"Don't sweat it man… I know Quil's your best friend…"

"You're both my best friends."

"All I'm saying is, if you want to pick Quil, I'm fine with it, really."

"Unless you want to pick Embry… cuz you have been hanging out with him more lately… then _I_ would be fine with it."

Jacob turned to look at me but this was really his call, and a difficult one. Even_ I_ would have trouble picking between them, especially since I love them both like brothers; so I couldn't imagine how hard this might be for Jake.

"You guys… we haven't even set a date yet… we just got engaged yesterday… it's a bit soon to be thinking about those things; so once we've settled things and decided on a date, I'll let you know."

They both nodded and continued to pack up the bedroom, acting as casual as they could even though it was obvious they both wanted to know Jakes decision, or better yet, choice.

Once we were done in the bedroom and finished taking out the larger pieces of furniture, the truck was loaded and Jared and Paul got in, having offered to drive it all the way to Emily's parent's house, in a town just outside of Washington.

"Bye sis." – Quil said to me, as he hugged me for a longer time than I'm usually used to. –"Or should I say, "your highness"?" I punched him in the shoulder but he just continued to laugh, bowing ceremoniously at me and Jake, who came to stand beside me. He then sped off into the forest, in the direction of Clair's house.

Embry put on a clean shirt and fixed his hair, carefully examining his reflection on the cabin's outside windows. Jacob turned to look at me with suspicion, because since when does Embry fix his hair?

"What's gotten into you… and what's with that shirt?" – Embry just shrugged.

"Nothing."

"Come on Embry… spill it."

"Really, it's nothing… can't a guy try and look good?"

"Embry, in the five and a half almost six years that I've know you, you have _never_ fixed your hair. Who is she?" – My question startled him, obviously hitting a nerve; even Jacob was surprised by my assumption.

"What? No one… it's no one, I just… I felt like combing it, alright?!!!"

"Fine… but if you don't tell us you won't get a "plus one" on the wedding invitation." – Jacob smiled at me, amused by my threat. Embry on the other hand looked smug, like he wasn't about to give in.

"I don't need a "plus one"… because there is no one!!!"

"Sure, sure." – Called out Jacob. – "Whatever man… it's your business."

Embry looked relieved at Jacob's words and just said "gotta go", before disappearing into the woods.

"You think he's seeing someone?" – I turned toward Jacob, excited by the prospect of Embry finally having someone.

"Definitely… but I have no idea who… I don't see him with girls, let alone a specific girl. If it's true, I don't know why he's keeping it quiet."

"But he hasn't imprinted right?"

"No, we would have felt that… it's pretty awesome." – Jacob's face lit up.

"Well, anyway, remind me to add a "plus one" on his invitation, just in case he changes his mind." – Jacob nodded and took my hand, leading me to his car.

"Let's get out of here."

We ended up at the beach, not swimming, but just laying around on the sand. I couldn't help but glance every now and then at my ring, making sure it was still in place and wasn't a dream, making Jacob smile every time he caught me doing it.

"I promise you Nessie… if anyone is dreaming, it's me."

I turned on my side as to be facing him and searched for his lips. We kissed for what seemed like forever, with absolutely no place to be and in no hurry to stop. The only moment his lips ever left mine was when they pulled back to kiss the rest of my face; each touch so exciting and electrifying that you would think it was the first time we were kissing.

"We should set a date." – I hated myself for breaking with the carefree bliss we were under, but it was getting dark and tomorrow was Monday, which meant work for him and school for me and not a lot of time to discuss things.

"How about tomorrow?" – I giggled at his joke but was determined to get down to business.

"I'm serious… do you have a date in mind?"

"How long would it take to prepare everything? That should be our timeline."

"Well, with Alice's help, everything would probably be done in less than two weeks."

"No way Ness… I'm not letting that wacko plan our wedding, who knows what she'd pull!"

"I've seen pictures of my parent's wedding and it was beautiful… you went right, did you like it?"

"I didn't actually go inside and I wasn't present for the ceremony… I more or less just crashed for a few minutes."

"Well, mom says it was amazing, and for mom to say it, means it was. I think we can trust her… we just have to tell her exactly what we want so there's no chance she'll slip in something out of place or…"

"Embarrassing."

"Right."

"Ok, let's start with the "theme" as Pixie calls it. What do you want?"

"Well, I was hoping to have a traditional Quileute ceremony." – Jacob looked surprised by my words and slowly a huge grin spread out over his face.

"Really?"

"Of course… I'm going to be Renesmee Black after all." – His smile grew even wider, if that were possible, pulling my face back toward his, continuing with our making out. After a few minutes I knew I needed to stop, no matter how delicious his tongue felt inside my mouth and no matter how tingly his breath and soft moans made my entire body feel.

"Ok… let's keep going." – He reluctantly let go of me and laid his head back down on the sand.

"Ok, ceremony: traditional Quileute. What about the party? I have enough money saved, but it shouldn't be too extravagant."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you… when dad talked to me this morning, he said he and mom would pay for everything… since it's tradition for the bride's parents to pay for the wedding."

"I don't know Ness… I don't want to come into this family not pulling my own weight."

"Jake, don't see it that way… I mean… a few days ago I found ten thousand dollars stashed in the old library sofa in the big house."

"I still don't feel like taking advantage of the fact that your family is ridiculously loaded."

"It's not "taking advantage" if they're offering… they're excited about this and I am their only daughter."

"Ok, fine… but on one condition."

"Ok."

"We _will not_ under any circumstances accept a place to live, not as a present or anything, not even a small cottage like the one they gave your parents… agreed?" – I didn't think it was possible to love him more, but I was wrong. What guy turns down the benefits of free expensive goods? Jacob could probably ask dad for a Ferrari as a wedding present and he'd get it, but instead, he's setting conditions about _not_ accepting gifts, about pulling his own weight, about earning our way instead of just taking from my family's huge unlimited bank account.

"Agreed."

"Ok, so party?"

"Elegant but casual, definitely not Buckingham Palace." – Jacob laughed and rolled his eyes at what my aunt Rose had suggested. –"I was thinking we could do it here, on the beach."

"I'd like that." – He nodded.

"So… best man?"

"Not yet… keep going."

"You're going to have to choose sometime."

"I know… but not today." – I knew not to keep pushing, so I continued.

"I'll probably plan a trip to New York to go pick out my dress, maybe next weekend, and get your suit as well. We should all go, the entire family, so we can buy our outfits. It could be sort of a pre-wedding vacation."

"Ok, good idea. What about school? What are you going to do, because if you like Ness, maybe we can set the date till after you finished the year?"

"No… I'll talk to the principal tomorrow and explain; with my grades he'll probably let me take a remedial test for all my courses, so I can pass them. And senior year… we'll see."

"Ok, as long as you're sure."

"I am."

"What about the honeymoon?" – I felt my heart skip a beat upon hearing the word "honeymoon". My nerves started acting up again and anxiety mixed with anticipation mixed with a tiny hint of apprehension. Jacob smiled at my reaction, but I could tell he was just as jumpy.

"We can talk about that later." – He said, dismissing the subject. Before either one of us could speak again, Jacob's pocket began to vibrate. He smiled apologetically and answered his phone.

"Yeah?"

"_Hey Jake, I'm calling because the Elders want to have a tribal council… since… well since Sam's death and you becoming the only alpha, they want to discuss things." _– I recognized Jared's voice through the speaker.

"When's the meeting?"

"_Right now, in half an hour… I ran into Old Quil and he asked me to gather everyone. You should probably announce your engagement also, the way Sam did when he got engaged… you know, to get their blessing."_

"Yeah, good idea, so why don't you inform Paul, Collin and Brady and I'll tell the others."

"_Way ahead of you… everyone already knows, except for Embry and Leah, whom I can't seem to find; you should try calling them because neither one is answering my calls."_

"Ok, thanks… I'll see you in a bit."

Jacob hung up the phone and got up; holding my hands to help me up; completely unnecessary but I still liked it.

"Jared seems helpful."

"I know… I think he's hoping I'll make him my "beta", since he was Sam's."

"But you're not."

"Course not, Leah's was there when all the others turned their backs… besides, can you imagine her wrath if I demote her?" – We both laughed. – "Speaking of Leah, I should go find her… and Embry as well. Are you ok heading home alone?"

"Yes, of course."

Jake pulled me for a tight and long embrace.

"Leave the window open for me?" – He whispered into my hair. I nodded, tilting my head up so he could kiss me.

"Don't take too long."

**Thank you for always being patient, I try to write as fast and as often as I can but sometimes I just don't have the time; so it means a lot that you're still with me. I'm still waiting on your suggestions for honeymoon destinations, the ones you've already given me are great and have sparked up my imagination, so keep them coming!!! And yes, I am a review junkie jajajaja**


	23. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters; just a fan having some fun. No copywrite infringement intended. **

**Chapter 22**

**Nessie's POV**

Monday came and went, as well as Tuesday and Wednesday. I was able to get permission to miss out on my classes and take a final test at the end of the year to make up for everything, thanks to grandpa who came in and pleaded my case, making up some story about the entire family taking a trip to Europe because of some temporary job placement he'd landed. Grandpa is supposed to be my guardian or "adoptive parent", considering it would be weird to say that Bella and Edward have a daughter almost their own age, and since grandpa is a very persuasive, charming and respected man, it was easy for the principal to agree.

Even though it was relatively easy to lie to my teachers, lying to my friends was another thing. I just couldn't do it, didn't want to do it. So I avoided them like the plague, storming out of class before they could reach me and making up some crap excuse for not coming to lunch with them.

But Thursday came and I knew I had to stop hiding, so I entered first period English not late like the last three days but early as usual, taking my seat next to Amanda.

"Hey, glad to see you little missy."

"Hi, sorry… it's been kind of crazy."

"Kind of crazy? You've been coming in to class late every day, you refuse to sit by me, you leave almost before the bell rings and disappear to wherever and then you don't even come to lunch… I mean… are you angry with me or something?" – Amanda looked frustrated and a bit worried for my answer. I swallowed hard, unsure of how to explain and how to ask her to keep it all a secret.

"Of course not, you're my best friend… it's just that… I have something to tell you, but you can't tell anyone, ok?" – Amanda's face turned from worry to anticipation to worry again.

"Is there something wrong, are you in trouble?"

"No… not at all… it's something wonderful, amazing, marvelous; it's the most amazing thing ever… but you have to promise not to go crazy, not to scream and not to tell anyone." – Amanda nodded, in full secret mode, scooting her chair closer to mine and placing her arm on the desk, creating a shield. I smiled and took a deep breath, realizing just how big the news was and just how much her opinion meant to me.

"Ok… I'm getting married."

Amanda's eyes were in danger of popping out. She just sat there, looking at me in shock, covering her mouth with her hand. I smiled at her, trying to dig up some sort of positive reaction, but getting nothing. I was just about to shake her so she would snap out of it when Mrs. King entered the classroom.

"Morning class… everyone to your seats…"

"Amanda? Mandy?" – She continued to gape at me with nothing but shock on her face.

"Take out your books; yesterday we left off on page 287… Renesmee, why don't you continue with the following chapter?"

I looked up and saw Mrs. King waiting for me, so I took out my book and turned to the right page, taking a minute to turn to glance at Amanda from the corner of my eye, seeing she was already leaning over her opened book, her face of shock still in place and her book on page 120 and upside down.

We had absolutely no chance to speak all throughout English, so when the bell rang I felt a huge relief, because surely by now the shock would have somewhat faded and maybe I'd be able to get a few syllables out of her, maybe even a full sentence.

We walked out, side by side, and silently made it to the girl's restroom. Amanda checked the stalls to make sure they were empty and then closed the door, locking it. She then turned toward me, her face serious.

"Are you pregnant?"

"What? No."

"Ness… come on."

"I'm not!!! I'm still a virgin for crying out loud."

"Well then why? We're seventeen, you're not even out of school, we still have college to get to!!!"

"I can do all that and still get married." – I could do it several times actually.

"Yeah but, why? Is he pressuring you or something…? I told you he was too old."

"Too old? You said he was "freaking hot", don't you remember? Besides, he's only a few years older." – I slightly resented the "he's too old" comment, having felt for so long like his "younger" sister, like a silly girl he would never take seriously.

"Ok, I know I said he was hot… but that's no reason to get married just like that… I mean, you've been dating for like 6 months, that's nothing."

"I've known him my entire life!!! And besides… I… I love him, he's the most important person in my life and I want to be with him and marry him and start my life with him… I know it sounds crazy, but you need to trust me on this."

Amanda had her arms crossed and was inspecting me, so I stood there, putting on my most convincing face.

"What did your parents say? Did they freak?"

"Well, mom freaked a bit at first, but dad was actually happy about it… they… they know Jacob, know him really well."

"So, are you going to like… live with him and everything? Are you dropping out of school? Will we still be able to hang out? Are you sure you're not pregnant?" – I had to smile, because I could see how crazy this all seemed to her, since she doesn't really know _the whole story_.

"Yes I'm going to live with him, no I'm not dropping out, of course we'll hang out and no, I _am not_ pregnant." – She smiled at my response which put me right at ease.

"Sorry, I'm being silly."

"No you're not, I know this seems sort of spur of the moment… I didn't mean to catch you off guard, but I had to tell you, needed to tell you." – She smiled even wider and I could see my best friend starting to creep out, replacing the stressed out girl she'd become a second ago.

"So… let me see the ring."

I pulled out my hand and we both started giggling like mad, jumping up and down and only quieting down upon hearing someone knock on the door.

"It's out of service!!!" – She yelled.

"So when's the wedding? Who else are you going to tell? Is this like a secret?"

"We're having it in a week and I don't know… I really don't care about other people, plus, my um… dad got me permission to miss the last month of school by lying, so I wouldn't want the principle to discover that instead of traveling through Europe for business purposes with the family I'm actually on my honeymoon!!!"

"Yeah, we wouldn't want _that_. So you're not telling anyone? Not even Laura or Tyler or Jenny or Mathew?" – Hearing her mention all our close friends made me feel terrible. It didn't seem right to not share this with them. Even though I'm used to living a double life when it comes to them, I still felt like this was the kind of news I _should_ share.

"I'll tell them after school, but you all need to promise to keep quiet, because principal Murphy would go ballistic if he finds out we lied and the real reason is I'm getting married, ok?"

"Eventually word's going to get out."

"Yeah, but I'm hoping it'll come out _after_ summer, so I can tell everyone I got married during the vacation."

"So why don't you just do that… wait till school is out, I mean why so soon? Do you even have enough time in a week to get everything ready?"

"I don't want to wait and yes, my family is sort of a specialist in planning events, so we do have enough time."

"Ness… you're really crazy, do you know that?"

"Yep."

"Ok, well… there's no talking you out of this right?"

"No."

"Then we better get on with it… do you need any help?"

"Well, I was hoping you'd be my maid of honor." – Amanda screamed at the top of her lungs and began to hug me, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Really? Are you sure? Oh my god, that would be so awesome!!!"

"I know!!! We can go pick out your dress and everything!!!"

Another knock on the door stopped us from continuing with our excited rant.

"Open this door right now!" – I recognized her scent before her voice, Mrs. Welch, the meanest strictest teacher in the entire school. We both turned and gulped before walking out, but not even the two hour detention I got could deduct from my happiness; I was getting everything I'd ever wanted and just hoped it wasn't too good to be true.

When I arrived home two hours late I was greeted by my entire family; all of them waiting in the cottage, each one excited to show me some new element or aspect of the wedding they'd already planned or bought or got done. My two aunts had spent the entire morning working on designs for my wedding dress as well as for all the women in the family. They had stacks of sketches that would probably put any amateur designer, and maybe a few pros, to shame.

"… and then we're thinking that it should have a train, something not too long and overbearing but enough so it would look divine!!!"

"And how do you feel about the lace in the bust line?"

"Or the pearl and bead detailing on the veil?"

"And do you want strapless or with straps, because we have both options? Or maybe a see through back, because we have that too?"

"And wait till you see the bridesmaids', they are to die for!!!"

I was getting a slight headache from their incessant rambling and from the numerous drawings they were shoving in my face; it got to such a point that I had no idea what I was choosing anymore or which of the designs were for me and which for them. I could see dad smiling at me from the living room, where the rest of the "sane" family members where gathered, watching a movie.

Finally after an hour I was done with the dress, having really no clue what the end design looked like, but hoping and trusting that it would turn out wonderful. Either way, the wedding dress was the least of my concerns, taking into account that I'd only wear it once and that hopefully by the end of the night it would speedily come _off_.

Then it was down to the men, who were waiting with about twenty five different wedding cake samples. Since no one in my family can really eat and enjoy human food, it was down to me to make the decision; and since I'm not so fond of human food myself, swallowing down twenty five tasters seemed nauseating to say the least.

"I think maybe Jacob should try this, considering out of the two of us he'll be the only one actually eating cake that day."

"Well, we need to pick tonight because the chef is willing to get it done on time only if we make the order tomorrow." – Uncle Jazz meant business so I rushed to my phone, afraid he might force-feed me the little samples.

"Ok, relax… I'll call Jacob." – I picked up the phone and started dialing. -"Who's the chef anyway?"

"Wolfgang Puck." – I chocked on my own saliva, coughing profusely while holding the phone to my ear.

"What?!!! Are you kidding me? The guy who caters _the Oscars_?!!!"

"I'm paying for it, it's my business." – A wave of comfort and easiness washed all over me as uncle Jazz simply smiled, pretty amused with himself. – "You're my only niece, let me spoil you will ya?"

All I could do was nod as someone answered on the other side of my cell phone.

"_Hey baby, are you home already?"_

"Got in about an hour ago… have been assaulted by every member of my family." – He chuckled at my joke. – "Where are you? I expected to find you here… I need you."

"_I'm sorry Ness, but I'm still at work. If I'm taking off some time to go on our honeymoon and the wedding and everything I need to finish up working on some cars… plus, I'm waiting for my boss to get here."_

"Why?"

"_Well, I need to tell him about the wedding and I'm asking for a raise… well, more than a raise… I want to see if he'll take me on as a partner."_

"What? You never told me that?"

"_I thought about it last night, during the council meeting… I have enough money saved up, so we'll see." _– I could tell by his tone that he was anxious about the money, _our_ money. Anxious about giving me the kind of life I'm used to.

"Jake, you know I don't care about the money right?"

"_So what do you need me for?"_ – He completely dodged my question, changing the subject in a not so subtle way. I breathed in, now knowing by his reaction that this was a sensitive subject.

"Jake…" – I wanted to press on so I could put him at ease, but I knew that over the phone was not the way; so I let it go, for the moment. –"They have wedding cake samples they want us to taste."

"_Gotcha… I'll be there as soon as I can; don't let them force feed you."_

"I'll try." - I laughed. – "… just hurry."

"_Ok, I will… love you."_

"Me too."

I put away my cell phone and turned toward my awaiting family members. –"Next?"

"That would be me." – Dad was smiling at me in a way that said "sorry about our crazy family". I smiled back and exhaled, knowing dad would not torture me with more wedding plans.

"Ok, what's up?"

"I wanted to discuss the honeymoon."

"Dad, seriously… gross." – He laughed along with the rest of the family.

"That's not quite what I meant… I was thinking, well… _we_ were thinking, that we want you to accept it as a gift, from one of us."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we all have great ideas and if you like, you can choose the one you like the best and that person will give it to you as a wedding present."

"Um… I don't know, I'd have to talk it over with Jacob."

"Please don't spoil our fun!!! We even have a bet going on as to whose honeymoon you'll choose!!!" – Aunt Alice was smiling persuasively and I couldn't help but cave in.

"Alright, sounds great."

"Wonderful!!! Now that that's settled, we have to go over the wedding invitations, the flower arrangements, the color scheme and the menu, ok? So get over here." – Alice and Rosalie where already seated back in the dining room, patting an empty chair next to them and signaling toward the mountain of photographs they had clustered on the table. I inhaled and turned my gaze toward mom who just laughed at my expression.

"You too Bella." – Commanded Aunt Alice. Now it was me the one who was laughing at mom's expression of horror. So she took hold of my hand and we both made it to the table, inhaling in unison at the daunting task of picking from the hundreds of options laid out in front of us; I was beginning to regret not letting Alice just take care of it herself, foolishly insisting on being consulted on everything. I only prayed that Jacob would get here soon enough, because I could deal with anything, even this overwhelming amount of choices and details, if I could just have him beside me, if I could just feel his warmth, if I could just listen to his heart beating next to mine.

"Sounds great."

"Really? Are you sure?" – Jacob and I were taking a short evening walk through the forest, having survived the family gathering and Jacob having eaten every last piece of wedding cake sample, choosing the "delicious" pumpkin and lime one; a combination so outlandish it was obvious a world renowned chef was behind it.

"Why would I be against it?"

"Well because of everything you said about not accepting gifts and things like that."

"No, I think its fine… I mean, it _is_ our honeymoon and they can probably pay for something much better than what I can afford."

"You know I don't care about that."

"I know baby… but anyway, isn't it like tradition for the honeymoon trip to be a present."

"Really?"

"I don't know… maybe I just made that up." – I started giggling; prompting him to stop walking and pull me up in his arms so we could be at eye level.

"Did you finally tell Amanda?"

"Yes, you should have seen her face… it was priceless, she completely freaked. But then she was happy, even excited; especially about being my maid of honor… speaking of which…"

"Don't go there."

"You have to choose soon; we're going to New York on Saturday to pick out all the men's suits and get fitted for our dresses and we need to know by then who's your best man, for measurements and everything."

"Well, can't we bring both of them…? I mean, they should both get nice suits."

"Fine, dodge it… but eventually you'll have to choose."

"Are you threatening me little missy?" – He was giving me a wildly sexy smile and I suddenly forgot all about Quil and Embry. I wrapped my legs around him as he still supported me with his arms, and took hold of his hair, kissing him with all the passion and longing in me.

I pulled back after a few minutes, to which he just smiled.

"Good thinking." – He said, still giving me the sexiest smile ever.

"Just eight more days." – He closed his eyes at my words and inhaled, pressing his forehead to mine.

"You think we'll hold up till then?" – I had to laugh at this, because it was ridiculous how much we wanted each other and even more absurd for two grown people to not be able to contain themselves. I couldn't help but wonder how mom and dad were together for so long without "doing it"; they were definitely in another league.

"I already told you to stop looking so damn sexy." – A huge grin formed in his face when I said it.

"I can't help it… I _am_ "Mr. Hot Stuff" after all." – I rolled my eyes, making him chuckle.

"So, you didn't get a chance to tell me what happened with your boss?"

"Let's not talk about that now."

"Why? Did something bad happen?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"I'll tell you later… can you just let it go for now?" – Of course I couldn't, not with my mom's stubborn genes in me. I was just about to speak when I heard something move just behind us, but before I could panic, I felt the musky scent of Quil and Embry. Jacob quickly put me down and nodded to the two approaching wolves; they nodded back and went behind the trees to phase back.

"Are we interrupting?"

"How long have you been eavesdropping?" – Casually asked Jacob. I watched in horror as Quil and Embry looked at each other with complete guilt and mischief on their faces.

"You were watching?!!!" – I shrieked out, completely disturbed by the idea; remembering all the times Jacob and I got carried away when alone. The fact that _that_ could have happened a few moments ago and that they would have been actually _watching_, was completely embarrassing and alarming.

"Relax, we didn't see anything, we just heard your conversation from a distance."

"_Way_ out of visual reach." – Assured Embry, obviously worried about how I might take their voyeurism.

I shook my head, trying to hide the smile that was creeping toward my face. It really was impossible to get mad at these guys, not when they were looking at me with goofy grins.

"So, to what do we own this displeasure?" – Asked Jacob, unlike me unable to hide _his_ smile.

"Well, first of all… we honestly didn't mean to eavesdrop… we were just walking by and heard you guys talking and…"

"We were curious… to… you know…" – Embry was staring at his shoes, the goofy grin replaced by awkwardness.

"To find out whom you chose as your best man." – Quil finished, blushing slightly.

"But we heard you haven't picked… so that's fine… something else interested us."

"What?"

Quil and Embry glanced at each other, a tingle of excitement hitting their faces.

"Well, we want in… on the honeymoon thing that is."

"Come on you guys, you don't have to… a simple wedding present will do."

"But we'd like to make you an offer… at least consider it, please."

"I'd like that." – I smiled at them, getting a warm fussy feeling inside. They both smiled at me and turned to look at Jake for his approval.

"You heard the lady." – Replied Jacob, folding his arms and shaking his head at them; the huge grin finally making its appearance. – "Just promise to not go around stalking us, you might see something you wouldn't like."

I slapped Jake across the chest but he just gave me a mischievous look. –"What? It's true."

"Yeah… we didn't want to hear that." – Quil had a disgusted face on, more for show than anything else. –"So I guess I'll be leaving now… have to go say goodnight to Clair."

"Hey, we're going to New York for the weekend, you both are coming, just so you know to get ready."

"Cool." – He saluted us as if in the marines or navy or whatever and went behind a tree to phase, leaving us with only the sound of his paws in the distance.

"I should get going myself."

"Hey, you want to hang out tomorrow?" – It wasn't that Jake preferred to spent time with Embry instead of me, but lately he was trying to get in some quality time with him, feeling bad that both he and Quil were always ditching him for their imprints.

"Um… that's ok, you should be with Nessie."

"It's alright Embry, I'm hanging out with my best friend Amanda tomorrow anyway; she's helping me with some preparations."

"So… what do you say?"

"Um… I actually have some stuff to take care of… work stuff."

"You _never_ work in the afternoon."

"Um, I know… but I have to finish a few things I'm behind on… so…" – Embry looked nervous and evasive, so it was obvious he was hiding something. Jake simply shrugged and dismissed it as nothing, but I knew better.

"Ok, fine."

"Ok, well… it's getting late… I'll see you Saturday."

After that, we decided to head back to the cottage, knowing we had a long three days ahead of us.

**Thank you for sticking with me!!! Sorry for the delays, I'm thinking once the wedding gets here I'll be more inspired and write faster. Give me your feed back!!!**


	24. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own her characters. Just a fan having a little fun, no copyright infringement intended. **

**Chapter 23**

**Jacob's POV**

The ride to the airport was long, too long. The Cullens decided to pay for two chauffeured limos to drive us to the there and Pixie and Malibu Barbie thought it was a "good idea" for the women to ride in one while the men in the other, stating some crap about wanting to discuss "girl things" with Nessie… "things unsuitable for the groom's ears". I barely got a chance to say goodbye to her before she was yanked from my arms and practically shoved into the girl's limo, followed by her two wacko aunts and Bella and Esme, the only sane women in the family who, let's face it, can't do a thing against Pixie and Blondie.

So, not only was Nessie taken away from me but throughout the entire car ride I had to put up with Emmett's incessant teasing about the honeymoon and my "performance". Edward had his eyes closed the entire time, pinching the bridge of his nose as if experiencing a terrible headache, one we know he can't get. I'm sure it had something to do with the images my brain was concocting upon being taunted by Emmett. _"Sorry Edward, but all this talk about the "honeymoon" is making me think about "the honeymoon". - _I thought, hoping to not get slaughtered, although Emmett was the one in danger of that. There were a couple of times I was sure Edward would just snap and kill his favorite brother, which would have been fun to watch but completely unbeneficial to the situation at hand. Jasper as always was calming down the situation but he was no match for Emmett's completely crude remarks and Edward's flaring temper. Carlisle on the other hand was busy on his laptop, communicating with another leech doctor, a Swiss one, whom he'd been sharing information with about the werewolves. I really couldn't care less where those things came from, they were dead, _all _dead; and that was good enough for me.

Quil and Embry weren't much help at all. You would think that having your two best friends along for the ride would help make everything more bearable, but you'd be wrong. Quil kept babbling on and on about Clair's upcoming birthday, nagging me be reciting all the fun things he had in store for her, like the huge blow-up castle he'd rented so Clair and her friends could jump up and down for hours on end. The damn dog was completely oblivious to the tense situation inside the limo, far too caught up in thinking and _talking_ about Clair. And then of course there was Embry, who spent the entire ride writing text messages on his phone, looking up just a few times upon hearing Emmett's loud laughter, but quickly returning to his phone. So much for your friends sticking up for you.

When the limo parked in front of the airport, to say that I was relieved would be an understatement. I practically jumped out of the limo and ran my way to Nessie, feeling immediately relaxed upon holding her hand.

"So, what was the "girl talk" about?" – She rolled her eyes.

"You don't want to know."

"Alright, let's get going, our jet is fuelled and ready." – Carlisle led the way with Esme by his side, all of us trailing along with our luggage.

"What does he mean by _our jet_?"

"They paid for a private jet to take us."

"Whoa, are you kidding?"- Embry had caught up with us while Quil lagged behind, talking with Bells.

"_Now_ you pay attention?"

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you hear Emmett harassing me? I needed some freaking backup… who were you texting anyway?"

"Um… no one."

"Oh, come on… don't give me that."

"I swear, it's no one… "– Before I could continue, I felt Ness pull me into a hallway where we had to go through security. When we were done, I was eager to keep grilling Embry, wanting to know just what the hell was going on with him these days but I couldn't, because before I knew it, we were already climbing into the luxurious jet.

Embry went to sit in the back with Quil while Nessie asked to stay up front with me, cutting off the conversation I wanted to have with him.

"If he's not ready to tell, don't push him."

"Fine." – Nessie leaned over to me so she could see out the window; resting her head on my shoulder and placing her hand on my leg. The action was completely innocent… my body's reaction, not so much. It was crazy to want her this much and even crazier to be thinking these things while confined in a small space with her mind reading dad. I heard Bella's soothing voice and I knew she was trying to calm him.

"So are you going to tell me what happened with your boss… or do I have to drag it out of you?" – Nessie was looking up at me, her face so close I could see every one of her freckles.

"I told you… later."

"The suspense is killing me, just tell me."

"Nope."

"Come on Jake… tell me." – Her hand was creeping under my shirt, making its way to my pecks, gently caressing me. She was batting her eyelashes, something I'd never seen her do; it would have been funny if it hadn't been such a turn on.

"Ness… please don't do this to me." – My voice sounded embarrassingly shaky and I feared everyone in the plane could hear it.

"Do what?" – She asked, faking innocence. Her hand was now traveling down, reaching my navel and continuing. – "Just tell me." – Her whisper sent electric shocks all through my body, not to mention her sweet touch on my skin.

"You want to get me killed… because if Edward looses it and rips my throat out, you'll never know."

"What can I do for you to tell me?" – She was now kissing my neck and I knew she wouldn't back down, so despite how amazing it felt to have her so close, I got up.

"Hey."

"I'm sitting with Quil and Embry unless you behave." – I looked up to make sure no one was listening and was relieved to find that everyone was more preoccupied with their own conversations to pay attention to what was going on with us.

"Oh come on, I was just having some fun." – She had her naughty mischievous smile on, the one that drives me crazy, the one that tell me to just let go and give in to her. I remained standing up, arms folded, waiting for her to stop it. It was one thing when we were all alone; it was another in the presence of her entire family.

"I mean it Ness."

"Fine."

The flight to New York went by quickly. We picked up our bags and headed out, where three cars were waiting to take us to the hotel. I wasn't quite used to this sort of treatment, but somehow felt I needed to adapt to it now that I was officially becoming part of the family. Quil and Embry also looked uncomfortable with all the commodities, especially when the chauffer asked to take their bags and opened the door for them. All the way to the hotel I couldn't take my eyes off the window, staring out into the big tall buildings in amazement. This was very different from Forks; the people, the shops, all the cars, everything was new and exciting. I caught Nessie looking at my astonished face, and would have been embarrassed if I didn't trust her so much.

"It's wonderful isn't it? I'm thinking we can maybe get everything done today and go sightseeing tomorrow morning before we leave, what do you say?"

"Ok, great."

"We're here." – I turned back to the window and saw we'd stopped in front a huge building. It was modern and hip and cool and I knew that one night in this place probably cost what I make in like half a year. We all entered the massive lobby and I couldn't help but ogle like a little kid. The furniture all looked really expensive and designer-ish, great contemporary lamps suspended from the tall ceiling, really cool looking art pieces hanging on the walls and all the employees looking so slick I suddenly felt underdressed.

"Wow Jake, this place is awesome!!!"

"Yeah man, thanks for bringing us!!!"

"I wish it were me you guys, but the Cullens are the ones paying for all this." – Carlisle came up to all of us with the room keys.

"We have suites for everyone… Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper, you're in suite 1202; Edward, Bella and Nessie, you're with Esme and I in suite 1203; and finally, you boys are in suite 1201." – Carlisle handed out the key cards and I could feel a knot in the pit of my stomach; I wouldn't be sleeping with Nessie. I'd gotten so used to it that it seemed normal; so used to it that it hadn't even crossed my mind that they wouldn't put us in the same room.

"Come on!!! Let's go check out our room!!!" – Embry and Quil sprinted toward the elevators and even though a few years back it would have been a dream to come to the Big City and share a room with my two best friends, right now the only thing I wanted was to be with Nessie.

"I'll catch up!" – They got in the elevator as I turned to face Nessie and the rest of the leeches, who were carelessly gathering their things and starting to walk toward the elevators as well. Nessie offered her hand and smiled once I took it.

The suite was amazing, bigger than my whole house. I found Embry and Quil running around opening doors and discovering what the huge control on the wall was for, pushing all its buttons resulting in the curtains shutting and closing, the integrated sound system sounding off and all the flat screens turning on simultaneously.

"Can you tell your dogs not to break anything?" – Blondie was peeking inside our room, smugly glancing at them.

"What are you doing here... miss me _that _much?"- She scoffed at my response and turned to Ness.

"Nessie, we're all going to get fitted for our dresses… Vera is waiting for us."

"Vera as in Vera _Wang_? You didn't tell me she was making our dresses!!!" – Nessie's eyes lit up with excitement. I really had no idea who that Wang chick was, but it was nice to see her so happy.

"Of course, only the best for our baby! So, say goodbye and let's go."

"What? Say goodbye?"

"Of course, you didn't expect to bring Jacob to the _wedding dress fitting_!!!"

"I… I didn't think about that… um…" – Ness turned to me and I felt my heart drop. Here I thought I'd spend this entire weekend with her and now I get that not only am I not sleeping with her but I won't get to be with her during the day either.

"It's ok baby… go… have fun… and I'll see you… when I see you." – But when would that be? I didn't even want to think about it.

"You'll be busy anyway; all the boys are going to get your suits and run some errands." - Blondie attempted to smile at me but failed miserably; replacing it with the smug contemptuous look she always gives me, right before turning away.

Nessie practically threw herself at me, swinging her arms around my neck and giving me one of the most rushed and yet hottest kisses she'd ever given me. I barely knew what hit me when she was already turning around and leaving. I watched her walk away and knew I was a goner, knew that one of these days this girl would definitely kill me; and from the way she was walking, with her hips swinging back and forth, she knew it.

It was dark already and I was dead tired. We'd spent half the afternoon getting fitted for our suites and then going around the city picking up some things Pixie had ordered for the wedding. When we were done I was sure it was time to head back to the hotel, looking forward to finally spending some time with Ness. But I had no such luck.

The leeches had decided, maybe just to annoy me, to take advantage of the fact that we were all together and in New York and celebrate our respective "bachelor parties". I really was in no mood to have a bachelor party, being more than happy to stop being "single" and enjoy the married life. I was also in no mood to spend any more time than necessary with joke cranking Emmett, boring mood manipulating Jasper or annoying smug murderous Edward. But of course, like everything else when it comes to this family, I had no say in it. Before I knew it, we were walking into a club that had a huge line of people up front. Being the Cullens who they are, we walked right past the bouncer, who for some reason knew Jasper, and were lead to the VIP room. Emmett had insisted on going to a strip club, considering it's the "tradition", but of course Edward wouldn't have it. I wouldn't have it either, watching some chick take her clothes off when all I wanted was Nessie didn't really seem like fun. So here we were; entering the swankiest club I'd ever seen besides the ones that appear in movies and feeling completely ridiculous. There was no point to this; the leeches can't exactly drink anything besides blood and I was sure as hell not getting drunk with the lot of them completely sober. Only Embry and Quil asked for a few beers and sat back, Quil still thinking about Clair and Embry, surprisingly, not at all watching the beautiful women dancing near us.

"I told you we should have gone to a strip club!!! This is boring!!! At least we could have made fun of Jake as he got his lap dance!!!"- Emmett looked sulky; probably from losing his chance to keep tormenting me even farther.

"What would Rosalie had said if she found out you went to a strip club?"- Edward's spirits seemed to be rising, enjoying having crushed Emmett's horrendous plan.

"Oh come on!!! Like any of the broads there compare to Rose!!! It was just for laughs!!! Like any of us would actually _enjoy_ it; the three of us are mad over our girls, these two are imprinted so there's no hope there… and Embry… well… maybe he _would_ have had fun, but you spoiled it!!!"

"Those places are completely degrading toward women; it's hardly a place to go before you plan to commit to one."

"There you go, all noble and shit!!! It would have been more exciting than _this_!!!" – He pointed to where we were sitting and I couldn't help but agree. Jasper had a tortured look on his face, probably from all the bad drunken vibes he was getting from the clubbers; Quil was looking at his watch, having promised Clair he'd call her to say goodnight on her bedtime; and Embry just sat there, drinking his beer and checking his god damn phone every five seconds. I was just about to call the whole thing off when I felt someone poke my shoulder.

"Hi!!! You want to dance?" – A girl was standing right behind me so I turned to face her. She looked like she was in her early twenties, with red curly hair and green eyes.

"I… um…"

"I have some friends… we saw you guys just sitting here… so…" – She motioned to a group of women sitting close by, all smiling at us, and motioned to the group of misfits sitting behind me. I was tempted to tell the girl she was asking a bunch of vampires and werewolves to dance, hoping it would scare her off, but knowing she wouldn't take it seriously.

"Um… sorry, but we… we don't dance." – She started laughing hysterically, flipping her hair in an attempt to flirt, but for that… she had the wrong guy. I sneaked a glance at Edward who shook his head, as smile playing on his lips. The leech was enjoying himself, as always, at my expense.

"Ok, listen… my um… _friend _over there wants to dance but he's too shy, why don't you get one of your friends to ask him." – She looked a bit confused, not knowing if I was dissing her or inviting the whole bunch of girls to come over. When she turned back to her table I heard Edward say "bad idea", and it was, because before I knew it, there were all over us.

Edward got this really loud annoying twenty-something girl who was too tipsy to notice anything off about him. Most people stir clear of the Cullens, sensing something quite not right about them, which so far has proved useful in keeping their distance from others; but here, in this poorly lit club and with the effects of alcohol, they just seemed like really good looking dudes without a date.

I heard Edward trying to turn her down politely, but failing miserably.

"Oh come on… one dance… pretty please!!! What can it hurt? You're here to have fun right?"

"I'm sorry… "

"Leslie."

"I'm sorry Leslie but…"

"And _you_ are?"

"Edward Cullen."

"Wow!!! I love your name!!! So Edward, just one dance?"

"I'm married, my apologies."

"I'm not asking you to sleep with me silly boy!!! Dancing isn't cheating… come on!!!"

"I truly apologize Leslie, but I don't think it's a good idea."

"Having fun is always a good idea… you're here, you might as well get into it."

"I don't want to."

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that you don't turn someone down if they ask you to dance… it's not polite!!!" – I almost pissed my pants in amusement; here was this college girl, with absolutely no regard for personal space and way too much alcohol in her system, telling Edward… _Edward_ _Cullen_… he was impolite. I only wished Nessie could be here to share it with her; hell, I would have settled for Bella if it meant having someone other than myself enjoy this.

"Go on Edward… Bells won't mind." – I winked at him, knowing he'd get even eventually but enjoying myself too much to care.

The girl pulled him to the dance floor that was just a few feet from our table and began to dance with him. It was hilarious, especially since Edward can only slow dance, having never practiced dancing any of the music they were playing. He practically just stood there while the girl danced up and down, grinding up against him.

I turned toward the table and saw that all the guys were paired up. Jasper and Emmett were standing up, talking to two blonde girls. Jasper looked really put off and disinterested, while Emmett was joking around, enjoying the admiring glances from the girls and laughing his head off at Edward. Quil and Embry had somehow made it to the dance floor. Quil was swaying from side to side, in tune with the beat of the song but completely out of tune with his partner. The girl was smiling at him and dancing her best, but Quil just looked uncomfortable and even a little sick, still glancing at his watch every other minute.

As for Embry, the only one of us who could actually enjoy any of this; he was dancing with a brunet. He was doing a better job than Quil in making eye contact with the girl and smiling at her from time to time, but I could still tell he wasn't interested. I actually felt sorry for the girls for wasting time with guys who were _severely_ taken.

"So, you're friends are dancing… what do you say we do the same." – The redhead was back, standing in front of me and smiling, but all I could think of was how the color of her eyes, though green, bared no comparison to my Ness' brown ones.

"I'm really not a good dancer." – I didn't really give a damn if I was or not a good dancer, I just didn't want to dance with _her_.

"Well, you don't have to do much… you can just watch if you like." – There was a definite sexual undertone in her comment and I immediately turned to see Edward who, even though was being harassed by the crazy girl, was enjoying my tortured face as well as whatever nasty thoughts the redhead was having. – "So what's your name?"

"Jacob."

"Aren't you going to ask me?" – I felt bad for being so rude, but I really didn't care _what_ her name was or how old she was or her favorite color or any of that shit.

"Sorry… what's yours?"

"Vanessa Miller… but everyone calls me Nessy. So are you dancing with me?" – I was in severe shock… did she just say the call her _Nessie_?

"_What_ did you say they call you?"

"Nessy."

"Sorry, I have to go."

"What? Why? It's still early." – She was pouting, producing no effect whatsoever in me. I ran out of the club, not paying attention to any of the guy's questions. This was insane, spending precious time with some college chick instead of my girl; so I ran. After a few blocks I was able to get a taxi and made it straight to the hotel, where I rushed to the elevator and went up to our rooms.

The number 1203 on Nessie's hotel room door was like a beacon of hope. I knocked on the door, my heart pounding at the expectation of finally seeing her after a _long_ day; but I got nothing. No sounds coming from either room 1202 or 1203, no smells other than the air fresheners installed in the suites, nothing.

Then it hit me, she was probably still out on her "bachelorette party". Images of some stripper dude giving her a lap dance appeared in my head; I could just see Pixie and Blondie encouraging it and felt sick. Surely Nessie wouldn't like it, would be uncomfortable like I was, right? But maybe not, maybe she would actually like the dude, maybe she would realize she's been missing out on the "single" life, maybe she'd realize she hasn't done any crazy stupid stuff like the rest of the girls her age. My stomach was full of knots as I began to think about how I was robbing her of those experiences, of how she still needed to get to college and party and drink and… sleep with other guys? That was it, the thought was more than I could handle; I felt like I needed air, like the space was constricting me and I needed to get out, and since we were almost at the top floor, the roof seemed like the nearest exit.

I climbed the stairs using my full speed, not bothering to act normal and wait for the elevator. When I got to the top, I pushed the service door with such force it unhinged, landing several feet away, but I didn't care; feeling like a dying man in need of air. I made my way to the ledge and took in a big gulp of fresh night air, staring out into the Big City lights and wondering where this atrocity was taking place. Another gulp of air was needed and then another, I was beginning to feel dizzy when I felt Nessie's scent. I jumped up, like someone who's just been surprised, and turned to find her standing there, watching me with confusion in her eyes.

"How did you know I was up here?"

"I… I didn't…"

"Are you ok? You look pale… what's wrong?" – She stepped closer and placed her hand on my cheek, examining my disheveled face. –"Are you feeling alright? Why are you breathing like that?" – Her questioning face became one of worry, so I tried to steady myself, still feeling a little nauseous.

"I'm fine; I just needed some air."

"No kidding… you practically plummeted through the door." – Nessie turned back and smiled at the bent metallic door lying on the floor, her face slightly more relaxed.

"What are _you_ doing here? I thought you were out with the girls?" – Nessie just shrugged her shoulders and turned to look at the view.

"I thought the same about you… so the guys are all back? It's early."

"No, I just left and they stayed."

"Why? Wasn't the strip club fun?" – There was definite undercurrent in her remark.

"We didn't go to a strip club… Emmett wanted to but Edward said no."

"So you did want to go." – It wasn't a question.

"What? Of course not, it was already horrible just to go to a club."

"You don't have to say that."

"Well it's the truth… what's with you?"

"Nothing."

"Did _you_ go to a strip club?" – Just saying it out loud made me want to puke again.

"Yes."

"Well, I'm glad one of us had fun." – It came out sounding bitter, something I didn't mean.

"You think I had fun?" – She made eye contact, something she was avoiding since the conversation started.

"Well yeah, why not? I mean, it's what you're supposed to do on you bachelorette party… go crazy, have some hot guy rub up against you, get a last look at the life you're giving up… right?"

"Is that what _you_ did?"

"I'm talking about you."

"Well I'm talking about _you_. What's with this whole panic attack you were having a moment ago… are you… are you regretting this?"

"What?!!! Are you insane!!! Is _that_ what you think or is that just a way to tell me what _you_ feel?"

"No."

"Then why were you up here Ness?"

"I was sitting in that awful place and I… I… kept having these terrible ideas… I kept picturing you getting a lap dance from some bimbo… I just… I couldn't… so I left and came up here to stress myself even more."

"You mean you were here because _you _were worried about _me_?" – It suddenly dawned on me what a bunch of fools we both were; stressing over the other one without realizing we both missed each other and didn't really want anything else.

"Ness… I came running from the club to find you, because I couldn't stand to be without you… and when I didn't find you in the room… I thought… I thought the worst… I panicked and came up here for air."

"What worst?"

"That maybe you would see everything you were missing out by marring me."

"Why? You can give me lap dances once we're married." – She was joking, enough to relax me completely.

"Yeah well… maybe you'd want them from someone else… someone different."

"Why would I want someone different when I have you? I don't want anything or anyone else, not ever. You actually thought that about me?"

"You were thinking it about me."

"Yeah well, you're a guy... guys are known to get cold feet and plus… with a hot girl doing whatever in front of you…"

"I told you I didn't go to a strip club."

"Well, I didn't know that."

"Plus… just so you know… you're the only one that can turn me on." – Nessie gave me a brilliant smile, clearing up all my worries.

"Dido."

"Are you sure about that?" – Now I was joking, having realized my worries, and _hers_ for that matter, where completely unsubstantiated. – "… because you never know."

"You know what, just shut up and kiss me." – I was more than happy to oblige, having spent the entire day craving to do so.

Despite the chilly air, I felt warm inside when I was finally able to touch her. She pressed herself against me and slipped her hands under my shirt, caressing me the way she was in the airplane; but this time instead of shying away, I welcomed it.

I moved my hands down her back and instinctively took hold of her butt, making her slightly moan into my mouth. It was so firm and delicious that I suddenly wanted more of it, sliding my hands under her dress so I could touch her without the shield of clothing. My hands seemed to have a life of their own, even managing to get underneath her panties, squeezing her butt and making her moan even more. How could she ever even consider the possibility that some stripper could pose a threat to her, that I could actually enjoy anyone but her? It was insane, but then again, I thought it too, so I guess we're both insane.

I took hold of her back thighs and pulled her up, sitting her up on the ledge wall, so we could be at eye level. Her legs were spread open, an invitation I couldn't refuse. Once I closed the gap, she began to pull my pants down, and since today I was lazy enough to not wear a belt, it was relatively easy. I slid my hands back toward my favorite place, her thighs, and began to pull her panties as well.

Before I knew it, she'd managed to pull everything down, even my boxers, and was now concentrating on taking my shirt off. I could feel the night breeze on my bare bottom and was amused by the predicaments we get ourselves into, standing bare ass on top of a building with my future wife perched up on a somewhat precarious ledge.

My hands were still focused on her amazing legs; hell, I could stay there for weeks and not get bored. I was tracing circles with my thumbs on her inner thighs; causing her to throw her head back in what I hoped was pleasure. That's the thing about being inexperienced, everything is new and experimental, and you have only pure instinct to guide you. Her panties were already off, dangling on my arm and I knew we were mere inches from going all the way. I panicked slightly, all of Emmett's taunts coming back to me as well as my own insecurities as well as my own guilt about "not waiting".

"I heard the noise about fifteen minutes ago… it was loud and…"

Ness and I both stopped in our tracks and turned toward the opened service door, realizing someone, two male humans to be precise, were walking up the stairs. She was the first one to react, jumping down from the ledge and signaling me to hide. I pulled my pants up and quickly ran to her side, hiding in the back of some air conditioning equipment. Our breathing was ragged, but not from the surprise or the hasty retreat, but from our little interaction. I still wanted her so much that I even considered attacking the two men just so we could get on with it, but of course that was no way to behave, was it?

"Dammit!!! Look at this door!!! That's probably the sound you heard; it looks like a bloody truck ran into it."

"This doesn't look like an accident."

The two men entered the terrace and began to look around with their flashlights, all the while throwing out stupid theories about what could have done the damage. I felt Ness shift next to me and whisper, so low no human could possibly listen, - "Hey, can I have my panties back."- I realized I still had them dangling from my arm. Up until then I hadn't really paid much attention to them, but now I could see they were painfully sexy, with pink lace on the top and bottom. I unwillingly gave them back to her, who pulled them back on. Damn humans.

We had to stay there a while until the men, who looked like janitors, decided it was best to call their maintenance manager to have him look at the damage. That was our cue; as soon as they went down the stairs to get a better signal on their radios, we silently skipped right past them and made it to the floor just above our rooms.

Nessie started laughing; breaking the tension I was feeling.

"Someone up there doesn't want us to fool around." – She was signaling upwards, as if talking about God. If this was God's work, he was being uncharacteristically cruel.

"We keep getting interrupted… it's maddening."

"I actually think it's kind of fun."

"Fun?!!!" – Was she kidding me, this was anything _but_ fun. Being turned on and then… nothing; nope, definitely not fun, though I'm guessing it's more of a guy thing.

She continued to giggle, making her even more irresistible.

"I can't stand this anymore Ness… what do you say we sneak off tonight?"

"Are you serious? Sneak off how? It's not like we can wait for them to fall asleep."

"Can you pull in a favor from Bella and get her to shield us? If Edward doesn't suspect, we might get away with it." – I knew I was harboring a fool's hope, but I was more than a little desperate after our little frisk.

"Come on Jake… that's crazy, there's no way… besides, I mean, what happened up there was…" – She blushed, turning me on all over again. – "… was out of the blue, spontaneous… I mean… didn't you say you want to wait, maybe we haven't been able to because it's not meant to be… we're a week away from the wedding…and… "

"I know, believe me I know… but I just can't help it… let's just try, please?" – I pulled her closer to me, pressed my forehead to hers and kissed her, hoping to rekindle the passion and convince her that my plan wasn't a suicide mission, and totally worth it.

"Fine." – She rolled her eyes at me and giggled some more. – "Let me remind you mister that there once was a time that _I _had to convince _you_ of these kinds of things."

"Guess this is payback." – Before she could answer, her phone vibrated.

"Hi mom."

"_Hi baby, are you in the hotel?"_

"Yeah, I'm at the hotel, just coming in… are you all there already?"

"_Yes, all of us, we met up in the lobby, perfect timing."_

"Ok, great, I'm with Jake, we just went for a walk."

"_Alright, well… it's getting late, let's call it a night, you need your rest."_

"Mom? Can I ask for a favor? Is dad around?"

"_No, he's in the other room… why? What favor?"_

"Can you shield us?"

"_Renesmee…"_

"Please!!!"

"_What did you do?!!!"_

"Nothing… just please…"

"_Fine, but you're telling me about it."_

"Ok, promise."

Nessie hung up the phone and winked at me. – "Done deal."

"I really do love Bella." – I regretted it the moment if left my lips, but thankfully Nessie didn't take it the wrong way.

When we got to the rooms everyone was already there. Embry and Quil were at ours, wearing the white bathrobes and slippers that come with the room and lying in bed watching a Paper View movie, with the entire contents of the Mini Bar spread across the sheets.

"Who's paying for this?"

"The Cullens… Edward said we could take whatever we wanted, even offered room service… but this will do." – Quil signaled to the cluster of expensive treats. I rolled my eyes at them and walked next door, to room 1202.

The door was wide open. Pixie was inspecting all the stuff we'd picked up during the day, stacking everything in order and making sure nothing was missing. Blondie and Emmett were locked in their bedroom, doing god knows what, while Jasper helped Alice wrap certain items in bubble-wrap for the trip home. I didn't bother to say hello or goodnight or anything, just shut the door and made my way to Ness' room.

Esme answered the door.

"Hi Jake, come in."

Esme returned to Carlisle, who was in their bedroom, with the door opened, watching a movie while Bella sat in the common living room with a book on her legs and Edward next to her with headphones. From my distance I could make out Chopin playing on his earpieces. Bells looked up at me and shook her head, in amused disapproval of whatever had happened between Ness and I; not knowing it's not what _happened_ but what _is going to happen_.

I simply nodded at her and turned to look for Ness. She was inside her bedroom, already wearing pajamas. I came inside and pretended to say goodnight to her, all the while writing on a piece of paper so Edward wouldn't hear us: MEET ME IN THE LOBBY IN 5. She nodded and kissed me again, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. How she'd be able to leave the room, I had no idea, but it was worth a shot.

I went back to my room and waited for the longest five minutes of my life. Finally it was time, so I began to make my way to the door when I received a text message from Ness.

I CAN'T GET OUT, NEED A DIVERSION

A diversion, but what? I started raking my brain trying to come up with something but coming up short. Suddenly I heard Quil and Embry laughing at the movie they were watching and knew they'd be my saviors.

"You need a diversion?"

"Exactly."

"Man, that's going to be hard."

"Come on, I'm sure you can think of something." – Quil turned to look at Embry, who like me, had no idea what to do.

"Ok, let's think about this… it should involve getting Edward out of the room, otherwise he'd notice Nessie leaving." – Embry's eyes were narrowed, deep in concentration.

"Why don't we just go to the lobby and have them call him to come down."

"With what excuse? He won't just come down for no reason."

"We could pay the hostess to make something up." – I was pleased to see Quil so excited about this, like some kind of undercover mission was going on.

"We don't have any money."

"Right. Ok, what if… what if we get into a fight?!!!"

"Yeah!!! That's good!!!" – Embry was now as excited as Quil, but to me, this plan seemed crazy and not at all effective, so I had to interject.

"How is _that_ going to get Edward to the lobby?"

"Well, we'll get into this public fight and they'll probably call security and Edward would have to come down to get us out."

"You're willing to do that for me?"

"Sure." – They both answered in unison, smiling at me. That was sure as hell a damn good way to redeem themselves after the limo incident.

"Ok, thank you so much."

They left the room, still wearing the bathrobes, looking extremely ridiculous. So then, I just waited, hoping to hear some commotion outside the room to alert me that Edward was exiting. What happened next I would have never predicted. Someone knocked on the door and from his stench, I knew it what him.

"Good evening Jacob… you're friends seem to have gotten in a bit of trouble."

"Oh… what do you mean?" – I put on my most innocent face, but felt that for sure he could see through it.

"The concierge just called me from the front desk; apparently Quil and Embry went downstairs to the lobby and got in a fight, breaking a few select pieces of furniture. Since the concierge knows me, and since we are very good tippers, he refrained from calling security but has asked me to come and get them, because apparently they can't stop fighting."

"Oh, that's bad… sorry… good luck." – I was just about to close the door when Edward stepped inside.

"What do you mean good luck? You're their Alpha, you're coming with me."

"Ahh… well… I…"

"Do you have any other pressing matters?" – Edward looked inside the room, pretending to search for whatever important appointment was keeping me.

"No."

"So come on, let's go."

As we walked to the lobby, I texted Ness: SORRY BABY, GO TO SLEEP, PLAN BACKFIRED.

To which she responded: WE ALWAYS HAVE THE HONEYMOON :)

And with that, my corrupt plans were done with. All I could do now was hope that this upcoming week would go by quickly and that the guys hadn't destroyed furniture that was _too_ expensive.

**Thank you so much for your reviews and for sticking with me. I won't delay the wedding any longer, I promise!!! Please tell me what you think!!!**


	25. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters; just a fan having some fun. No copywrite infringement intended. **

**Chapter 24**

**Nessie's POV**

RING… RING… RING…

I woke up from my deep slumber to hear the nagging sound of my alarm clock, the one I rarely use. I hit the snooze button and turned over, hoping to get some more sleep, considering I spent half the night tossing and turning nervous about the wedding… THE WEDDING!

I practically jumped from my bed with a start, realizing the big day had arrived. When I got up I half expected to find Jacob next to me as usual, but of course, that wasn't the case. Aunt Alice had ordered Jacob to sleep in his house, at least for this night, saying it was customary for the groom to see the bride until the altar, and that not sleeping together the night before would enhance the experience and increase the "mystique". I personally thought it was a bunch of bull, but there was no persuading her or anyone else for that matter, even momma who is usually against her crazy ideas was all supportive of it.

So I'd spent the night alone and anxious, and even though I'd gone to bed ridiculously early to get my, according to Rosalie, "beauty sleep", I still didn't get much of it. But that didn't really matter now; nothing really mattered besides the fact that in a few hours I'd be Mrs. Black. Therefore, I suppressed my tiredness and practically skipped to the bathroom, where I took a nice long shower. Then it was off to the big house, where I found everyone in a huge commotion, all of them walking around getting the last minute details in order.

"The bride is here!" – Ringed Alice's voice. Everyone went to hug me and kiss me, their faces a mixture of joy and pride.

"This is one of the happiest days of my life… are you nervous?" – Grandma was hugging me tightly and I knew that if she could, she'd be crying right about now.

"Um… a little." – _That _was the understatement of the century; I was so nervous I'd almost puked out the deer I'd hunted the day before with Jacob, right before we had to say goodbye.

"Good… you have nothing to worry about, everything is set and ready and you just have to enjoy it, ok?"

"Mom's right, we did our best and everything looks lovely, no detail was overlooked; you'll be very proud of us!" – Alice was jumping up and down and I couldn't help but laugh a little. Despite all the tortured planning meetings we'd had, I knew she did all of this because she loves me.

Momma came over to hug me and smoother out my hair, as she appraised my appearance.

"Oh Renesmee… to think that just five years ago I had no idea who you were, but knew I loved you from the start. You're the most wonderful thing in my life and not only have you given me the joy of being your mother, but now you're giving me the joy of calling Jacob family."

"I love you so much momma." – We hugged again until we were separated by Aunt Rose.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we need to start getting ready. So the two of you are coming with me, I'm doing your hair and makeup."

"I told you I don't need hair and makeup, my face is practically flawless… anyway, this is Renesmee's day."

"Oh no Bella, you're not getting out of this one."

I took hold of momma's hand and took her with me, smiling at her with my most convincing face. It was true, she didn't need makeup or anything else, she was already a goddess just wearing her sweats, but it was fun for all of us to get made up.

"I promise I won't overdo it… remember for your wedding? How you didn't want to get made up and then fell completely in love with yourself in the mirror?" – Aunt Rose was walking ahead of us, motioning for us to enter her room.

"Ok, fine."

She sat us both in front of her Victorian styled dresser and began her work. She flipped the mirror around so we couldn't see ourselves, holding out the first impression for the last minute. I had no idea what she was doing or what were all the hair products she was using on me, but decided not to concern myself with that. They were right, this was _my_ day. Instead, I let my mind drift to my favorite subject… Jacob. The wedding started to seem like too far away, like the precious hours leading up to it were dragging.

All the while I could hear ruckus downstairs, of the men getting ready as well as grandma and Alice. I kept checking my phone, hoping Jacob would text me or something, hoping to find out what he was up to, where he was, if he was as nervous as me; anything really, just to make sure this wasn't some long dream and that he was really real and about to marry me.

"He's not texting you." – Aunt Rose spoke, after the hundredth time she'd seem me check my phone.

"What? Why not?"

"Alice confiscated his phone so he wouldn't be able to talk to you… she also deleted your number from Embry and Quil's phones."

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!"

"Wish I were… but it's true. You should have seen all their faces when she conducted the phone raid." – Aunt Rose laughed in amusement, but all I could feel was torment; Alice really was crazy.

"Why didn't she just take mine?" – Before I was even finished saying it, Aunt Alice poked her head inside the room and extended her hand toward me.

"Give it here."

"Why? You already took Jacob's… in a complete disregard for boundaries by the way."

"I'm not taking any chances, give it here."

"No."

"Nessie, do you really want to get in a fight with me right now?" – I was un such a good mood that not even Alice's absurdities could damper it, so I just sighed and tossed it to her, deciding to just go along with the whole "no contact" thing.

"Thank you."

"Sorry about that."

"It's ok momma… maybe it's better this way."

After getting my wild curly hair smooth and defined and ready for the final hairdo, Aunt Rose gave me a pedicure and manicure, plucked my eyebrows and applied an enormous amount of scented cream all over my body, making my skin look even shinier and silkier.

Then I was ready to put on the wedding dress. I hadn't seen it finished, just had had a final fitting a few days back, when one of Vera Wang's assistants came all the way here to fit the dresses and return them to New York for the final touches, so my heart started pounding really hard once I saw the white bag that contained it.

It was better than I had imagined… better than better... it was perfect. It had thin spaghettis straps that hooked on the back of my neck, making my shoulders pop. The bust line was a V-neck, extremely low, which meant I had to wear a special stick-on bra and double stick tape to keep the dress from revealing anything. There was a beautiful intricate lace and beading detail on the top and a solid band just around my waist, accentuating it. The bottom was amazing; the fabric so light and airy it looked like it was floating. Just the sight of it made me want to cry and forgive Aunt Rose and Alice for putting me through the aggravating design process, because the end result was so worth it.

Once it was on I loved it even more, twirling all around the room like a little girl. After that, Aunt Rose finished with my hairdo, taking my prepped hair and creating an elaborate braid that loosely rested on my back, placing the diamond tiara she'd given me as a wedding present over my head and securing the veil to it. After that it was makeup and then I was done and ready to finally look in the mirror.

Everyone came up to look at the final result; my entire family all clustered inside Rosalie's room, their eyes sparkling with joy and excitement. I barely recognized myself when I saw my reflection in the mirror. I looked like something straight out of a fairytale, it was completely mesmerizing. My brown eyes popped with the soft eye shadow Aunt Rose had applied, my lips looked big and plumped, my entire body glowed more than usual because of the cream she'd also applied, the dress made me look even taller and thinner, accentuating my hips in a way that made me look somewhat "va-va-va-boom" and finally my hair was loosely pulled back into a perfect intricate braid, with beautiful golden ringlets falling back on my face.

I turned to face dad, whose eyes were so filled with wonder I had to break out into a huge grin.

"My baby, my darling daughter… you're the most beautiful thing on this Earth." – Of course I knew he was lying, if anyone was the "most beautiful thing on this Earth" for him it was momma, but I didn't care; the sentiment was what mattered along with knowing that soon enough I'd see the man who could really say that and actually _mean_ it.

Everyone took turns complementing me. Grandma came over and gave me a breathtaking necklace, placing it around my neck. The chain was made up of a string of incrusted diamonds embedded in an elaborately adorned sterling silver lace, with a blue crystal hanging at the end; it's color so pure and majestic it stung my eyes just to look at it.

"This was the first present your grandfather ever gave me. It belonged a long time ago to the Queen of Monaco."

"Grandma… I… I can't have this."

"Don't worry, I'm expecting it back… this is your "something old, something borrowed and something blue"." – Being new at this whole "wedding" thing, it had completely slipped my mind that I had to find those things. I really couldn't have asked for a more perfect way to get them. The necklace hung ideally from my neck, the blue crystal dangling at the bottom right between my breasts, completing the look.

"I don't know what to say… this is perfect."

"_You_ are perfect my dear… you came into all our lives and filled them with joy and hope and love, you deserve nothing more than perfection." – I hugged her tightly, feeling all the love radiating from her, and tried not to cry otherwise my makeup would be ruined before Jacob saw it.

"Ok... I'm ready… let's do this."

**Jacob's POV**

I didn't need an alarm clock to wake me up, not when I hadn't slept in the first place. I'd forgotten how uncomfortable and small my bed was, how the sheets weren't as delicious without Nessie's scent on them, how my pillow looked lonely without a few strands of Nessie's hair resting on it, and finally and more painfully, how my body felt cold and alone without her touch, without her presence. I was glad to get this over with, because after today, I would never leave her side and no one, not even Edward, could forbid me to sleep with her.

"Jake… are you up?" – Billy poked his head inside the room and searched my face to see if I was still asleep.

"Yeah, I'm up."

"Well, take your time… I made breakfast in case you were hungry." – Billy making breakfast? Just how much had changed since I stopped spending my mornings here?

"_You_ made breakfast?" – He chuckled and wheeled himself entirely into my room.

"Yep… eggs and bacon… don't know if they're any good though."

"Food is food."

We made it to the kitchen and I was relieved that Billy's cooking wasn't half bad. We ate in silence; a couple of times I felt like he wanted to say something but stopped short.

"Come on dad… just spill it."

"Alright… I just want you to know how proud I am of you… and how proud I know your mother would be… that's all."

"Thanks… I love you too." – We weren't exactly known for our public displays of affection, but today seemed like a good day to start with the whole "I love you-s".

"So… you nervous?" – I shrugged, filling my mouth with the remaining egg so I wouldn't have to talk; because the truth was, I was more nervous than I had ever been in my entire life. Billy gave me a knowing smile and took the plate from me as to begin washing the dishes.

"By the way, Quil called, said they're all getting ready over at the Clearwater's… we should head over there ourselves. I'll just put on my suit."

"Ok, I'll just shower."

Things over at the Clearwater's were hectic. All my pack members were running around trying on their suites and fighting over who got to look in the mirror. They all shouted and whistled at me once they saw me, but quickly returned to their grooming. My sister was fixing Paul's jacket, which for some reason had ripped a little at the seam. Sue came out to greet us, already wearing her dress but with no makeup on.

"Oh… hi, come on in. Sorry about the mess, the boys got all their suits mixed up… it's been crazy. I haven't even got a chance to get ready."

"Ah Sue, you look lovely either way." – Billy kissed her hand and wheeled himself over to the kitchen, where Charlie was trying to tie his tie by looking at himself in the reflection of the toaster oven, considering the only full length mirror in the house was being hogged by seven rather large wolves.

"Hey Billy, Jacob… now you're going to take care of my granddaughter right? Otherwise I'd have to hunt you down and kill you."

"Relax Charlie, that point has been covered by Edward… many times."

"Yeah well, I doubt he'd do much harm on a big boy like yourself."

"Oh trust me Charlie… he can." – He cringed, trying to block out what I'd just said, because truth be told, Charlie preferred to overlook the fact that there was something rather odd about his son in law, not to mention his only daughter, not the mentioned his super aging beloved granddaughter, and me… the _never_ aging punk wanting to marry her, when years ago I was gaga over his daughter. Believe me; they don't even write soap operas like this.

"Jake man, can you help me out with this bowtie." – Quil came out to greet me, stress visible on his face form trying to tie it.

"I have no idea how to… go ask Charlie or Billy."

"That won't be necessary… I can do it." – Leah came out of her bedroom, wearing a long tangerine colored dress. It was sparkly and soft and feminine, something I'd never thought I'd see her in. Her short hair was styled with soft waves and instead of pulling her hair back with a head band like usual, her bangs were swept across her face making her features look warmer. She even had makeup on, and I'm not talking about lip gloss, I'm talking about the whole nine yards. She barely paid attention to me and began to fix Quil's bowtie. I could see Embry checking himself out in the mirror, his tie perfectly centered, and knew she'd probably done his too.

"Wow, what's gotten into you?"

"Don't be such a rude dog Jacob… say something nice." – I was flabbergasted, since when has Leah ever wanted a compliment from me… from anyone.

"Um… you look pretty."

"Thank you Jacob." – She smiled, actually smiled! I continued to analyze her change in mood. Was it just because she was dressed up and going to a wedding or had something happened?

"Hey, you better get dressed… the tiny leech sent over your suit; I put it in Seth's bedroom." – Quil pointed with his head toward the room, as Leah continued tying the complicated bowtie.

The suit looked even better than when we'd tried it out in New York, maybe because this time it actually fit. I stood in the room; looking down at my outfit and feeling my heart almost bounce out of my chest. I instinctively pulled my hand into my pocket, reaching for my phone, but was miserably reminded of Pixie's phone raid the day before. The only thing that could calm my nerves right now was Nessie, and not only wasn't I allowed to see her but I also wasn't allowed to contact her. I reached inside my shirt and took hold of my dog tags, reading the words "if lost please return to Nessie" over and over again, hoping that just by holding something she'd given me that I'd be able to calm down, but it wasn't working.

"Hey, you need any help in here?" – Seth poked his head inside the room. His hair was all shiny from the hair gel he'd used to slick it back. He actually looked adorable, especially with his suit on, like a little kid whose mom dressed him.

"Can you tie this?"

"Sure… dad taught me and Leah."

"Speaking of Leah… what's gotten into her?"

"I don't know, but I think maybe Sam's death released her somehow; I know it's something really nasty to say, but ever since his death, she's been dressing up and fixing her hair and nails, even wearing perfume!!!"

"Really?"

"Yeah… plus she's been going out and stuff."

"With who?"

"Umm… don't know… probably some of her old school friends." – Seth finished with the tie and asked if I wanted hair gel, to which I had to say no. I'm sure Nessie wouldn't want my hair pulled back that way, I hope.

When I walked out of the room I found everyone ready, the guys looking so dashing with their suites on, totally opposite of the way we usually dress, and the girls, specifically Leah and my sister Rachel, looking so amazingly beautiful that I had to suppress a sigh. This was my family, the people who have loved me since forever, the people I can relate to, the people I'm comfortable around, all of them looking at me with such love and support that my nervousness eased up a bit. This wasn't something to get nervous about, this was a celebration.

We decided to have both the ceremony and the reception at First Beach. The beach looked amazing, the soft rays of the Sun filtering through the usual cloudy sky as the blue water moved to a calm soothing rhythm.

Pixie had really gone all out. There were two separate isles of chairs wrapped in white satin. She also placed white satin sheets sprinkled with lavender colored rose petals in the center, marking the path between isles. The same lavender colored roses, along with other kinds of exotic flowers I didn't even know existed, adorned the chairs at the edges of both isles, marking path even more. The altar was marked by two white concrete pillars that anyone in the family could have carried and placed there, with an arc made up of flowers going from one to the other.

Several feet away, next to the ceremony location was the reception area. There was white fabric suspended from these tall wooden pillars, giving shade to the area and producing a really cool tent-like effect, with the fabrics overlapping in interesting weaving patterns, with a few sphere shaped lamps hanging from the cables that supported the structure. All over the surrounding area, she strategically placed candles, that I suspected by the afternoon would light up the entire sand around us like a constellation of fallen stars. I couldn't really see inside because they'd closed it up with sheer curtains, but with my enhanced vision I could tell there was a big wooden platform probably for dancing as well as a stage and tables and chairs. The details I'd have to wait and see inside.

A few guests had already arrived, taking their seats at their respective aisle. I couldn't help but laugh a bit at the sight of the contrasting guests. On Nessie's side I recognized the Denalis, Zafrina, Kachiri and Senna from the Amazon coven, Maggie, Liam and Siobhan from the Irish coven, as well as Alistair, Charles and Makenna. There were a few other vamps that I didn't know or want to know. Just the sight and smell of all these vamps so close to home gave me Goosebumps and put my already unsteady nerves even more on edge. I started to worry about them containing themselves, considering not all of them are "vegetarian".

"No worries, they all had a big meal before coming here… and they're not staying for long."

I jumped up, turning to find Edward standing right behind me, catching me completely off guard.

"What the hell! Don't do that!"

"I thought you knew I was behind you… you really are nervous aren't you?" – He sounded amused, the smug leech.

"No… I just…"

"Don't worry."

"Easy for you to say… you don't have to say your vows with an aisle full of people eating leeches right next to your human family who just so happens to be their direct enemies."

"I told you, they ate… plus, Jasper is keeping their emotions away from hunger."

"Dammit Edward, if one of them snaps…"

"They won't… Alice saw everything go by smoothly."

"Yeah, well that's not a sure bet… especially since she can't see the part where we werewolves are around… maybe it goes by smoothly for _you_ leeches." – He rolled his eyes at me.

"Don't be dramatic… besides, they're all leaving right after the ceremony… they just wanted to share this with Nessie; they love her too much to cause any trouble. I just hope your wolves will do the same."

"Hey, as long as your lot behaves… we behave."

"Good… so… how are you doing… really?" – For a moment I felt as though I was speaking to a friend, like just one of my pals, but then the smell crept in and I remembered this was my soon to be murderous father in law.

"Fine." – I shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.

"Sure you are."

"Could you just stop getting on my nerves?"

"Alright… I just wanted to wish you good luck and tell you that I'm very proud of you."

"Please don't creep me out Edward." – He smiled and put his hand on my shoulder, just before turning around and heading over to Nessie's side to welcome the guests. Jasper, Emmett and Carlisle where already there as well but with no sign of their significant others; the women probably still getting ready.

More and more guests came, marking even more the painful difference between aisles. Nessie's side was filled with pale skinned vamps, which to the untrained eye looked like really eccentric rich snobbish people, considering the way they avoided eye contact with anyone and barely smiled. Then of course, right next to them was my side, complete opposite. Nobody was sitting down, everyone having loud conversations with a few laughs in the middle; not one of them white except for Charlie who chose to sit on my side with Sue.

This whole thing was really getting go me, so I closed my eyes and pictured Nessie. That was all I needed; it didn't matter that our families are total opposites and legendary enemies, didn't matter that we were both freaks or that danger seemed to find us everywhere. All that mattered was that in a few minutes she'd be mine and I'd be hers… forever.

My heart jolted when I caught a light breeze with her scent. I instinctively started searching for her, knowing she couldn't be far.

"Dude… we're up."

"What?"

"Their calling for you at the altar… it's time." – Quil had a huge grin on, nodding toward the ceremony area. Everyone was already seated; a violinist and an harp player where in the corner playing some background music and Old Quil was standing at the center, wearing his ceremony clothes and gesturing for me to come over.

I turned back and saw Edward, Emmett, Jasper and Carlisle walking away and entering this little wooden cabin that I hadn't noticed before. Nessie was in there with the rest of the women, I knew it. My heart started pounding with anticipation as Quil pulled me and spun me around, forcing me to walk farther away from Nessie but closer to the altar.

"Come on man… everyone's waiting."

As I walked down the center, several of my guests reached out to shake my hand or pat my back, my aunts and other women relatives stalling me by kissing me and wishing me luck. I finally made it to the altar where Embry was fidgeting and playing with the fabric in his pockets, obviously more nervous than Quil about being one of my "best men". They both stood beside me, facing the guests. Clair was the first one to appear, wearing the cutest pink dress you'd see on a little girl, holding a basket full of petals with her eyes focused on a hyperventilating Quil. Once she was done spreading the petals, she went to sit with her mom, her eyes never leaving Quil's. Then the Cullens made their entrance, walking in pairs with their respective mates, except for Bella who walked alone. She rolled her eyes at me, probably embarrassed for having to walk down the center, never really liking to get much attention. She was followed by Nessie's friend, Amanda. It was kind of cruel to have her walk right behind four flawlessly beautiful vampires, Amanda obviously bearing no comparison to them and looking more than a little average in contrast. She nervously smiled at me and came to stand on the other side of the altar.

And then it started… the wedding march; and as it did, I heard the three of us inhaled at the same time, in expectance of what was to come.

**Sorry to keep you waiting. My dog died last week and so I really wasn't inspired or motivated to write. But now I'm back; hope you enjoy these chapters, please… pretty please… leave a review, they help me and motivate me so much, you have no idea.**


	26. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the characters in the Twilight Series; I'm just a fan having some fun. No copywrite infringement intended. **

**Chapter 25**

**Hello everyone. I had a little mix up with my documents and posted an incomplete one on the previous chapter, Chapter 24. I've already fixed it, so I would love if you could go back and just read the ending, the second to last paragraph, because that's the part that was missing. I would truly hate for the scenario to be incomplete, even if it's only a little bit. Thanks and enjoy!**

**Nessie's POV**

One by one my family walked out of the little cabin Aunt Alice had set up for us. First it was grandma and grandpa, then Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett, then Aunt Alice and Uncle Jazz, then mom by herself followed by my maid of honor, Amanda, who had met up with us at the big house just minutes before coming here. I peeked out through the gaps between the wooden boards that enclosed the cabin. Little Clair had been chosen to be the flower girl, so she'd been the first one to walk down the aisle sprinkling petals all over the place. I smiled to myself thinking how Quil probably had a heart attack upon watching her do this, looking as cute as a button.

Because of the location of the cabin, behind a cluster of palm trees, I could only make out the first few feet of the aisle and then nothing. I watched with anticipation as they all made their way toward it and then disappeared from sight. Jacob was at the end of that aisle, waiting. My heart quickly picked up the pace and before I knew it, dad was holding my hand and guiding me out of the cabin.

"Just breathe and Nessie…"

"Yes…?"

"Please don't burst into a run once you see him." – I smiled at dad for knowing exactly what my impulse would be. I nodded, far too nervous to formulate a coherent response, took hold of his arm and began to walk focusing on the music and its rhythm, trying to keep my pace even and slow despite the burning desire to finally be next to Jake.

Everyone stood up once they saw me, but they were all a blur of faces; tanned ones to my right and pale ones to my left. Once we began to walk down the aisle, I saw him. I had to hold my breath and steady myself, otherwise I'd start running just like dad had predicted or simply faint from the lack of air my lungs were getting. He looked gorgeous… more than gorgeous. His suit made him look so sexy and debonair it was hard to walk straight, the whiteness of his shirt contrasting with his beautiful chocolate skin and the cut of the suit enhancing his strong masculine frame. He was barefoot, like me and most of the guests; Aunt Alice had thrown a fit at this but on this occasion, didn't stand a chance; it _was _a beach wedding after all.

After my eyes took in his amazing body, I was shocked to finally gaze into his face. There are no words to describe the overwhelming look on it. It felt as if he'd never seen me before, as if this was the first time and he was imprinting in that very moment. His eyes were filled with tears, looking into mine with nothing but pure adoration and longing, probably mirroring my own devotion. His hair was falling over his eyes, just the way I like it, making his face the most amazing thing I'd ever see in my long life. I tuned everything out and searched for his heart, finding that it was beating as frantically as mine. As if he'd guessed what I was doing, he smiled; not his usual huge grin, but a somewhat impish half smile. That was all it took, because before I could stop myself I broke loose from my dad and ran the rest of the way, causing everyone to burst out in laughter and a few of Jacob's pack members to whistle. I jumped into his arms just as he opened them for me, a move we'd perfected since I was a child, and I did the only thing I would ever want to do; I kissed him. The kiss wasn't inappropriate or over-the-top, otherwise my dad would have stopped it, but it was passionate and deep.

We broke apart just a few seconds later, both grinning like idiots. Jacob put me down and I turned toward dad who was now right behind me; he simply smiled and shook his head in amused disapproval, taking both my hands and kissing them. His eyes were intense as he stood there, taking me in as if for the last time. He then turned his gaze toward Jacob and nodded, whispering –"now she is yours."

Jacob's face twitched, holding back the tears my dad's words had surely caused him. Dad turned back and sat next to mom, who looked just as emotional and affected.

Old Quil began the ceremony, that to be honest, I didn't hear a word of. I was too entranced with Jacob that paying attention to what was being said seemed far too trivial and of less importance. Once or twice Old Quil had to nudge us when there was something to be done or some words to be said.

"And now we will proceed to the placement of the wedding bands, a symbol of undying and eternal love as well as commitment to one another. The rings please…"

Amanda gave me Jacob's band as Quil gave Jacob mine. We placed the rings on each other's fingers, repeating the words Old Quil spoke. The feeling of the band on my skin was wonderful, like it'd been a piece of my body that had been severed off and now was being placed back; like an appendage I never knew I had but once I got it back realized just how much I'd missed it. Jacob smiled up at me upon taking in the sight of our hands with the rings. The ceremony went on, with several rituals and words spoken out in Quileute.

Finally it was down to the vows and again my nerves started to act out. This was it; the moment I'd been waiting for, the words that would seal the deal and complete my dream. I inhaled as Old Quil motioned for Jacob to speak first.

"Nessie… I don't know what I could say that I haven't said to you before. You know that you own my heart… my whole heart and everything else that comes with it. From the moment I looked into your familiar brown eyes there was no going back, no denying the all encompassing truth… that everything I've lived, that everything I am and everything I will ever be is forever yours and was always meant to be yours. You're my gravity and from now on, I will go wherever you go and do whatever you need me to do. I promise I'll be the best husband I can be and love you for the rest of our lives."

I hadn't noticed I was crying until Amanda slid her hand under my arm and offered me a tissue. Jacob's eyes were also full of tears; tears so precious it felt wrong for them to roll down his perfect face and fall on the sand, getting lost forever. I wiped my face and took in a shaky breath, knowing it was my turn. Jacob smiled encouragingly at me, reading the anxiety on my face.

"Jacob… every single one of the happy memories I have of my life have you in them. You've always been my best friend, my knight in shining armor, my soul mate and the only person that could ever make me complete. And it's not because of some mystical love spell or some genetic match; it's because you know me and I know you better than anyone else, because you're the bravest, funniest and most kind hearted person I know, because the mere sight of you makes my heart swell up with joy and because let's face it, no one else could put up with my crazy family…"

Everyone laughed, including Jacob, who placed his hands on my waist and pulled me closer to him, so it felt like we were doing this completely alone. I breathed in again, this time to shake of the nervousness his closeness was producing.

"… what I'm trying to say is… I love you Jacob, not just because I was always meant to, but because of the man you are and the woman you helped me become. I don't want to spend a single second without you and I can't wait to be your wife."

Jacob's eyes lit up and a huge grin emerged, as he leaned down to kiss me but stopped short when Old Quil cleared his throat and everyone giggled in their seats. He smiled at us before continuing.

"Jacob Ephraim Black, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"And do you, Renesmee Carlie Cullen take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do."

"Then, by the powers invested in me by the State of Washington and the Quileute Tribal Council, I now pronounce you husband and wife… _now_ you can kiss her."

Everyone cheered as Jacob leaned down and sweetly kissed me. I wanted more but knew that soon enough we'd get our chance to go all out and that right now, in front of our entire family and friends, it was a bit out of the question.

"We did it."

"I know."

"You almost gave me a heart attack by the way… did the dress _have_ to be so skimpy?"

"Sorry, my aunts are to blame."

"Remind me to thank them later… you look like an angel."

We turned to face the cheering and clapping crowd and after that everything was a blur. We were escorted toward a private area of the beach were a photographer, who probably works for Vogue or some famous magazine considering he was Emmett's wedding present, took our pictures. I could tell Jacob was a bit uncomfortable posing for the camera, especially since the photographer was clearly gay and kept directing Jacob with lines like "oh yeah, love it… now more intensity, make those beautiful eyes of yours sparkle" or "come on, come on, give it to me… yeah, now more sexy."

When we were done there, it was time to come into the reception area. It was even more beautiful and elegant than I could have imagined. All the tables had these tall crystal vases filled with all sorts of wild flowers and surrounded by tiny sphere candles. The chairs were covered with white satin and had a lavender fabric tied at the center of the back support, ending in a beautiful bow. The sandy floor was covered with this very thick and luxurious white fabric, making it really delicious to walk on, especially barefoot. In the far corner, Aunt Alice had placed a wooden platform as a dance floor, with a stage in the back where a band was already settled and playing "The way you look tonight". The ceiling was amazing, made up of white fabric draped one on top of the other, like some sort of intricate tent, and there were these really cool looking sphere lamps hanging at different heights. It smelled delicious, maybe because the whole space was filled with exotic flowers or maybe because everyone had worn perfume today, who knows.

Before I knew it, I was surrounded by vampires. Zafrina, Kachiri, Senna, Maggie, Liam, Siobhan, Alistair, Charles and Makenna all came to greet me, musing about how old I'd gotten and how beautiful I looked. It was weird to see them all with brown eyes, having gotten used to seeing them with their eyes blood red; Aunt Alice had really thought of everything, ordering the contact lenses weeks before the wedding. Jacob felt more than a little uncomfortable with their proximity so he opted to go say hi to his own guests.

I took turns talking to each one of them, my mind curious to know what they'd been up to all these years. The first ones to leave were Maggie, Liam and Siobhan, followed by Alistair, Charles and Makenna. Kachiri and Senna went to speak to grandpa as Zafrina stayed with me. I had forgotten how wonderful she was; the bond we'd established when I was a child quickly returning and becoming even more present.

"You are very much in love… I'm very happy."

"Thank you, I'm so glad you came."

"So… your mother was telling me about the werewolves…" – I had to interrupt her, because this wasn't the kind of conversation I wanted to have on my wedding day.

"Zafrina… I really don't want to talk about that."

"Your right, it's not proper conversation for the festivities… can I… can I just say something? Because I fear once I leave today we won't see or speak to each other in quite some time."

"Of course."

"I had a dream… more like a vision… of your mate… he was in trouble… it's probably nothing…" – Just as I was about to enter into full panic mode, dad came over to rescue me.

"Edward! Good to see you."

"As you Zafrina, are you staying long?"

"No… as a matter of fact, we should get going, I doubt Kachiri and Senna will be able to restrain themselves for much longer with all these humans." – She turned toward me, her face trying to hide worry. – "I love you very much Renesmee… take care of yourself… and him."

She left without another word, leaving me just a tiny bit on edge. She'd had a dream, nothing more, and was concerned, but for no reason; I told myself, knowing deep down inside Zafrina would never worry over nothing.

"Today is not the day for worries or bad omens… alright?" – Dad smiled at me and with that smile, took away my apprehension and brought me right back to the happiness of the day.

"Besides, you have more pressing matters."

"Like what?"

"Well, for one… your first dance." – Dad signaled to the dance floor at the same time that Aunt Alice took the microphone and spoke.

"And now, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Black will hit the floor for their first dance as husband and wife. Join me in giving them round of applause!" – Everyone got up and started clapping. Dad stepped back as Jacob approached me, taking my hand and leading me to the dance floor. The band began to play "At last", a song I'm sure Aunt Rose must have picked out. We made it to the center and began to slow dance.

"It just hit me… we've never danced before… not once."

"What about when you used to twirl me around when I was a kid."

"Mmm… that doesn't count." – He smiled and twirled me, to which everyone clapped.

"So what do you think? So far?" – He pulled me closer, making me forget what I'd asked in the first place.

"Well… it's not eloping in Las Vegas… but…" – I giggled, causing him to press his forehead to mine and gently kiss me. – "It's better than anything I could have wanted."

"Good."

"I still can't believe you're my wife… this is insane."

"I know… just think, after this we'll have an entire week just to ourselves… no interruptions." – I heard Jacob's heart skip a beat, making my face flush red. I had been dreaming of the honeymoon long before we actually knew where we were going.

The whole "give us your options and we'll take the best one as a wedding gift" turned out to be more complicated then we had expected. For a moment it seemed like we would have to find a place ourselves.

Grandma and grandpa had offered Isle Esme for our honeymoon location, but the idea of consummating my marriage in the same place where my parents had, and conceived me as well, was definitely more creepy than romantic; so our answer was no. Aunt Rose and Uncle Em proposed their cabin in Vermont; their luxurious vacation house overlooking the mountains with access to a private skiing area, the kind that often appears in Christmas cards. Even though snuggling up in a comfy wooden cabin with snow all around seemed utterly dreamy, Jacob reminded me of all the things Rose and Emmett had probably done inside that very house, considering they always have to remodel it after their getaways. That again was really disturbing, especially for Jacob, so we both politely declined that offer as well.

Mom and dad hadn't actually acquired any estates since they married; mostly because every place for sale they went to see seemed far too expensive and extravagant for mom. So all dad could offer was renting out a Vila in Paris. With 6 different gardens, 50 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms, gold engravings and Renascence paintings from floor to ceiling, crystal chandeliers and a staff of 8 including a butler, it was definitely a nice offer but far too pretentious for us. _"Your dad is such a snob",_ Jacob had said, laughing upon seeing the brochure my dad's realtor had sent him. I couldn't even picture my sweet Jacob walking around barefoot and shirtless in a place originally owned by men who wore like three different layers of clothing, tights and pointy shoes. So again, we had to decline their proposition.

That of course had left us with whatever Uncle Jazz and Aunt Alice had to offer, because I was definitely not taking up on Quil and Embry's offer to send us to Disneyland. _"But you can eat breakfast with Goofy!!!"_ Quil had interjected, trying to convince me that their offer for our honeymoon was the best; _"whatever, that's where I'm taking Clair bear"_ was his response to my definite "no", causing us all to burst out in laughter.

So at the end, it had come down to Aunt Alice and Uncle Jazz's propose. We really were expecting the worst when Alice simply handed us a picture of the most beautiful little village; houses with white walls and white roofs overlooking the most sparkling blue water you'd ever see. And once Jacob and I had turned to her for an explanation, she'd simply said one magical word… Greece. So that's where we were headed after the reception, Greece. Alice had been stubborn and had not wanted to share with us any details, but had promised we'd love it, and since it was the best offer by a long run, we took it.

"A week's not enough." – Jacob's reply brought me back from my thoughts.

"Well… the honeymoon is just a week, but we'll get to be together always."

"Together yes, alone… not so much. Speaking of which…" – Jacob pulled back from me as dad approached us.

"May I dance with the bride?" – Jake simply shrugged his shoulders and stepped back, only to find grandma asking to dance with him as well.

We danced two more songs like that, switching partners so that I got a chance to dance with all the men in my family as well as all the wolves in Jacob's pack, except for Paul who decided to stick with Rachel just to annoy Jacob with his lack of participation.

Even grandpa Charlie, who's not what you'd call a "dancer", took his turn with me and then with mom, smiling in a way I don't think I'd ever seen before. In fact, everyone seemed to be in good spirits. As I danced with the last guy on my list, Uncle Jazz, I watched everyone around me have a great time. Quil had little Clair in his arms, her legs dangling as he swayed her from side to side; Mom was dancing with Billy now, taking his hands and moving his wheelchair to the beat of the music, dancing being something I'm told she used to be clumsy at before becoming a vampire; then there was Uncle Em and Aunt Rose, hitting the floor in a way that would have put any professional ballroom dancer to shame, due to the numerous classes Aunt Rose had forced him to take with her. Amanda was dancing in the far corner with Kyle, her next door neighbor and current crush, whom she'd brought as her date. It felt nice to be able to share this with her, even though I knew I'd have a lot of explaining to do, like why on Earth would my "brother" aka Edward give me away instead of my "father" aka Carlisle.

"You're anxious." – Uncle Jazz wasn't asking.

"I'm fine… I was just thinking that maybe it wasn't a good idea to invite Amanda, because maybe she'll catch on to all the things that don't add up… you know?"

"Don't worry… Edward's been monitoring her thoughts; and when she wondered why he had given you away instead of Carlisle… well, Edward clever enough came up to her, struck up a conversation and told her some made up story about how he's your favorite brother and how when you where little you used to play that you got married and made him promise that he'd give you away if you ever _did_ get married."

"That's a pretty good story."

"I thought so too… she totally bought it by the way. And that's all; she hasn't had any more questioning thoughts, except for whether she should kiss the kid goodnight or not… but Edward stopped listening by then." – I couldn't help but giggle and look over to Amanda, who was severely flirting with Kyle.

"I'm guessing that's a "yes"."

"From her mood, I'd say so too." – Jasper smiled wickedly.

"Mind if I dance with my wife?" – Jacob suddenly appeared next to us, patting Uncle Jazz in the back as he nodded and went to find Alice. Jacob wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer so that the tips of our noses were almost touching.

"So… can we now _finally_ spend some time together?" – Just as he was saying it, dad took over the microphone and informed the guests that the buffet meal was ready; so everyone stopped dancing and made their way to the line, except for my side of the family of course.

"Come on." – I pulled Jacob toward the back of the stage, hoping to at least make out with him for a bit before it was time for the toasts. He laughed and followed me; glancing back to see if anyone was paying attention to us.

I pulled the curtain that separated the social area from the back of the stage, only to be shocked by what I saw. Jacob ran into me as I abruptly stopped in front of him, and let go of my hand as he too witnessed the shocking scenario in front of us. It lasted for a split second, but with our enhanced senses, it was all it took for us to gather the entire nasty picture.

Leah, with her long flowing tangerine dress, pressed up against the wooden wall with Embry no less, holding her tightly and kissing her! Our interruption made them stop and distance themselves from one another. Leah was flushed and fixing the straps on her dress, that had suspiciously come down, and Embry, with his goofball face looking away from us as he pulled at his bowtie nervously.

Jacob and I stood there, completely mute at what we'd just seen. I even stupidly blinked twice, hoping it'd been a mistake, that maybe it wasn't even them making out in the middle of my wedding; but was disappointed when I realized it _was_ them as well as completely confused as to why. Thankfully, Jacob got a hold of himself and was able to speak, more like scream, the words I so desperately wanted to utter.

"What the hell?!"

"This… this isn't what it looks like." – Embry seemed afraid of Jacob, like maybe this represented some sort of wolf law breaking of some sort.

"It looks like the two of you were making out!"

"Um… ok… so it _is_ what it looks like… but more complicated."

I turned toward Jacob and saw that he had the same shocked confused expression I felt on my own face.

"This is none of your business Jacob! Stop looking at us like that!" – Leah tried to look angry but somehow didn't pull it off, which was unheard of for her.

"I… I can't… I mean… I don't understand… you hate Embry! You call him a brainless moron at least twice a day! What the hell?!"

"I call you a stupid dog _three_ times a day and I don't hate _you_."

"Yeah well, you're not exactly making out with me behind closed curtains either."

"Whatever Jacob, I'm not explaining a thing to you… so just leave."

"I want an explanation… I need to know what the hell is going on… is this the reason you've been acting so weird these past weeks?" – Jacob's voice sounded calmer as he turned his gaze toward Embry.

"Um…" – He glanced at Leah, as if asking for permission or checking if it was ok to answer. It was move I'd seen Jacob do with me many times. And that's when it hit me.

"Did you guys imprint?!" – My voice came out shockingly high pitched. Jacob looked at me with surprise and then back at them for the answer. They both shifted positions and glanced at each other, a smile playing on both their lips.

"You did?!" – They looked at Jacob and nodded. He ran his hand through his hair, looking over to me with incredibility, trying to understand. – How? How is that possible? You've seen each other many times… I mean… it's supposed to happen right when you meet the person… I don't…"

He shook his head and looked down, as Leah and Embry stood there, waiting for him to pull it together. – "I mean… why didn't we feel it?! When I imprinted all the wolves felt it… so why? And why didn't you tell me?!"

"It happened at Sam's funeral." – Miraculously, Leah's face showed no signs of grief upon speaking Sam's name. – "We didn't make eye contact until after the ceremony… and… well, you know."

Leah looked so happy it was hard to judge them or feel like it was wrong or creepy. Jacob on the other hand still looked perplexed and put off.

"But how?"

"We went to see Old Quil, because we weren't sure what was going on… he's the only one that knew from the beginning; he really helped us understand." – Embry reached for Leah's hand and immediately I could see his features relax.

"Understand what?"

"Imprinting isn't an exact science… he thinks that in our case there were some factors that kept us from imprinting in the beginning."

"Like what? I mean… it's impossible to not recognize your imprint right away!" – I could tell Jacob was having a hard time with this, like everything he ever believed in was caving in.

"I was… tied to Sam, it wasn't just a broken heart, it was much more… Old Quil says we can sometimes create magical binds, binds that have to be broken for us to truly be free and experience what we're supposed to experience."

"What do you mean binds?"

"Ok, you can't judge me alright? But… when Sam imprinted on Emily, I was so distraught, so confused and hurt that I wasn't thinking straight; the only think I knew is that I wanted to break their imprint and get him back, so… so I did some research and found some old… well… spells."

"Are you kidding me?"

"I wish I were, because I would have saved myself from a whole lot of pain. But that's what I did; I performed some spells, hoping to get him back. Old Quil now helped me realize that what I actually managed to do was bind myself to Sam, tying my heart to his, and since I did this before I became a wolf, it became permanent and I wasn't able to imprint on Embry right away, the way I was meant to all along."

"Well, what about Embry? He wasn't bound or anything."

"Old Quil says that contrary to common belief, imprinting is a two way street, it has to be reciprocate. He explained to us that both people imprint, not just one. If I couldn't do it, neither could Embry. It took for Sam to die for the spell to be broken." – Only when she said this did I notice a hint of pain and remorse on her face.

Jacob inhaled loudly and turned to me, asking with his eyes for me to tell him what to do or feel about this. Embry stepped closer to us, with Leah still holding his hand.

"I'm sorry we didn't say anything… but we didn't know how, it took us both by surprise."

"Does anybody else know? _Besides_ Old Quil?"

"No."

"Ok, we'll keep it that way… but when I get back from my honeymoon, I'm holding a meeting and we're telling everyone… got it?" – They both nodded, a full grin now making its way onto both their faces.

"Are you happy for us? For me?" – I'd never heard Leah speak that way. She usually reserved her more contemptuous words for Jacob, even when I know for a fact she cares about him. This was a side to her I'd never seen and for the first time I actually saw her as a woman, vulnerable and sweet, and not just "one of the guys".

"Of course I am Leah… I'm just more than a little shocked, but it'll pass." - We all laughed, more because of the nerves than anything else.

"So, does this mean you won't be such a bad ass from now on?" - Jacob was teasing Leah, who simply pretended to glare at him and smacked Embry across the chest when she caught him shaking his head at Jacob, as if saying "not a chance".

"Hey! That hurt! What you do that for?"

"When have I ever been a bad ass with you? Now that we've imprinted I mean."

"Smacking me across the chest doesn't help you prove your point." – Embry's eyes were sparkling as he teased her and I suddenly realized just how perfect they truly were for one another. Embry's always been extremely soft spoken and a tad shy, whereas Leah has a lot of character and likes to run the show. I smiled almost to myself, knowing that the same "perfection" could be applied to Jake and me.

I was about to congratulate them myself, when someone poked their head through the curtains.

"What are you doing back here? We need you up front for the toasts." – Aunt Alice whispered, pulling the curtains back and motioning us to enter. Leah and Embry let go of each other's hand, something I'm sure couldn't have been easy, and walked out with us as if nothing had ever happened.

There was a large table up front, were my parents, Billy, Quil and Amanda where already sitting. So we made our way and sat in the middle, as Embry had to let go of Leah to sit beside Quil.

The first one to toast was Quil.

"Jacob and I have been friends since we were toddlers, so I know him probably better than anyone, which has been a privilege because he is one of the most loyal, caring and fun friends you could ever have. There was a time there when I thought maybe he'd never be happy, never find "the one", and I worried, because I hated seeing him so lost." – I felt a ping in my gut at the mere mention of Jacob's sad time and it didn't help that Quil seemed obviously still unsettled by this, which made me wonder just how lost and depressed my baby had been; a question I knew I didn't want answered.

"… But then came Nessie… his savior." – Quil's face lit up, smiling at me at the same time that several people clapped at his words. I felt my face flush at the sudden attention drawn to me, attention I didn't deserve; if anyone should be called a "savior" it should be Jake, not me.

"… And not only did he find himself again, but he found a better self, a self with a grater purpose. Ness… you're that purpose, and I'm so happy because now I get to call you my sister."

Everyone clapped and raised their glasses to us. Jacob had a smile from ear to ear, making my heart soar with joy upon seeing him so happy. With the whole werewolf thing and then the wedding preparations, I'd missed seeing him like this, just relaxed and cheerful, just Jacob. And now having heard about the time he was lost and sad without me, I mentally pledged that I would never let anything hurt him again, that I would keep him forever like this.

Then it was Embry's turn. I instinctively looked over to where Leah was sitting. The look on her face was priceless; so radiant I almost didn't recognize her. I felt Jacob entwine his hand with mine and turned to find him giving me a knowing smile. From the way he was smiling, I suspected the shock of Embry and Leah's imprint had already worn off, replaced by a wicked desire to tease them.

"Ok, well… hello, I'm the second best man… Jake was nice enough to pick me as well even though he's been friends with Quil for far longer. But that's just the kind of guy that he is, someone who's always looking out for his friend's feelings, someone who always has your back and someone who always makes you feel important and special. I have to say it was hard when he fell in love with Nessie, because it meant I'd have less time with my best friend, but I couldn't really complain when it was so obvious how complete and happy she made him. So I couldn't be happier about the two of you getting married and I wish you all the luck in the world now that you begin this new adventure together, not that you'll need it. You know I love you both… so… cheers."

Again, everyone clapped and lifted their glasses toward us.

When it was Amanda's turn to speak, I sort of felt bad for her because she was at a definite disadvantage from Quil and Embry. For starters, they've know Jake all their lives plus they know me, we hang out together all the time, they know about imprinting and have seen firsthand what it's like to fall in love like that. Whereas Amanda; she has never seen me and Jake interact, apart from the time she met him in the parking lot, which really doesn't count because we were sort of fighting.

Not only did I feel bad for her but felt kind of sad to know that not even my best friend truly knows me, and that once the time would come for us to move on from Forks and begin all over again, I'd have other "best friends" who would also _not_ know me.

Jake turned to look at me and tilted my chin up with his finger to kiss me, like somehow he'd sensed my melancholy. Nothing really mattered as long as I had him, but it still felt crappy to know that I would never have _real_ friends, apart from Jake's pack; friends who could truly understand me.

"Hello everyone… umm… I'm Amanda, Nessie's maid of honor. So, I can't really talk much about Jacob and Nessie's relationship, considering I don't know much about it, but what I _can_ talk about is the effect it's had on my best friend." – I caught dad looking at me and smiling, probably having heard my thoughts as well as Amanda's speech; so I suspected it would either be very good or very funny, I couldn't really tell from dad's expression.

"From the moment I met Ness, every other word that came out of her mouth was "Jacob". At first I thought she was obsessed or something, the way she carried on and on about him, obsessed over every little word he said or expression he made and did absolutely _everything_ with him." – Everyone laughed, even Jacob. I on the other hand was blushing like crazy, hoping she wouldn't go into the details of how I would fixate about whether or not he liked me and destroyed several flower patches in the school garden playing "he loves me, he loves me not."

"I can see many of you know what I'm talking about. But that was before they got together, because once the decisive moment happened, something happened in her as well. She seemed calmer and yet at the same time constantly excited. She was happy all the time, even when we had to do homework or study or stay for detention, she was annoyingly happy, like she understood the world differently, like nothing around her mattered because she knew that the only thing in this world that truly matters is love. I guess you have to live it and find it to be able to fully understand its importance. So even though I don't quite get it, what I do get is that no matter what, Nessie has found the love of her life, and I can only hope that it lasts forever because I have seen firsthand what it has done to her."

I felt my eyes swell up with tears, but blinked them back. She truly _did_ understand.

"So Nessie… I love you very much and Jacob, I have never seen anyone look at someone the way you look at Ness, so I know I don't have to tell you to take very good care of her, because she's precious… to many of us. To the bride and groom!" – She held her glass up high and everyone followed.

"So… you obsessed about me?" – I could feel his warm breath on the side of my neck, making my heart do back flips. I simply shrugged my shoulders in response, trying to seem cool, calm and collected.

"I mean, I know I'm hot shit and all… but to _obsess_ over me…" – I began to laugh hysterically as Jacob, who was laughing as well, tried to take a sip of his water without spilling it everywhere.

"What's so funny?" – Quil, who was sitting beside Jake, was leaning in so he could catch the joke.

"Oh nothing… I mean, we'll probably need to take Ness to a psychiatric hospital due to her crazy, over the top, obsessed love for me… but other than that…" – I smacked him across the chest making both him and Quil burst out in laughter.

"You guys are completely missing the point in Amanda's speech… it's not funny!"

"It's kind of funny… well, more like ironic really… all that time you played it so cool and you were actually as infatuated with me as I was with you."

"I didn't play it cool… I just… didn't want to look like some drooling fool around you."

"You can drool all you want… I don't mind." – He leaned in and kissed me, far too passionate for the fact that we were sitting in front of everyone. I heard my dad cough in the background, and considering he can't catch a cold and doesn't even need to breathe, I guessed it was directed at us. So I pulled away from Jake, blushing slightly when I saw the look on his face.

"How about a rain check?" – I felt horrible for leaving him hanging, but there was no way that kissing like that in front of everyone would end well.

"Fine… but may I remind you that you're my wife now…"

"Yeah well, my dad is still my dad… we don't want to push his buttons too much… plus, we'll have plenty of time later on." – I wiggled my eyebrows, trying to cheer him up, and it worked. He let out a bark of a laugh and turned to smugly look at dad, who bared his teeth at him, more for show than anything else.

The rest of the reception went by in a flash. I'd never danced that much in my entire life. Jacob turned out to enjoy dancing just as much as me, twirling me around the entire dance floor. I was having so much fun that I was surprised when I looked out of the tent and saw darkness, illuminated with hundreds of candles spread out on the surrounding sand. We did the whole cake cutting thing and then the bouquet toss, which got pretty interesting when Amanda and Leah both fought to catch it, and finally the garter toss. Jacob took an unnecessary long time to slide it of my leg, all the while giving me a look that set my insides on fire. In the end, Leah took the home the bouquet and Embry the garter; not his idea, more like Jacob's idea of a good joke, tossing the garter right at him.

After that we danced some more but as the minutes went by, guests started to leave. I found myself turning and seeing that half the reception area was empty. My family was still dancing it out, as well as Jacob's original pack members. Grandpa Charlie had already had his fill of dancing but was content with sitting alongside Sue and Billy, drinking the last bits of champagne left off. Little Clair had refused to go home early, so she was now almost falling asleep in Quil's arms as he carried her and danced her around the floor.

Amanda had curfew so she and Kyle had left already, but not before she hugged me for about half an hour, like it'd be the last time we'd see each other.

"Remember to put on something sexy."

"Ok."

"And don't eat anything that might make you sick… and take a lot of pictures so you can show me… and get me something nice from Greece… and wear sunscreen… and…"

"Yes, yes… I got it… would you please stop going crazy, you're making me nervous!"

"Sorry… sorry… it's just that this is so exciting!"

"Well, I'm not the only one with something _exciting_ going on."- She smiled and turned to glance at Kyle, who was staring out into the ocean, waiting for her. She then turned back to me and smiled wickedly.

"I'll tell you how it turns out when you get back."

"Good, I can't wait."

"Don't be such a liar; I'll be lucky if you get back!" – We both laughed at this, prompting Kyle to turn around and give her a questioning look.

"Ok, so… have fun and call me." – She hugged me one more time and was off.

So now I was in a tent, dancing with my husband, alongside the people that make my world whole, with hundreds of stars lighting up the beach, reminding me that dreams really do come true.

"Our plane leaves in two hours… we should get going."

"Just one more dance." – Jake smiled at me and pulled me closer, just as the band began to play "The more I see you."

"Ok, one more."

**Reviews… please!!!**


	27. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters, just a fan having some fun. No copywrite infringement intended. **

**Chapter 26**

**So we've made it to the honeymoon!!! I just want to make a little disclaimer and say that things will get a little "graphic" from now on. So even though I've changed the rating on my story, I wanted to let everyone know before reading. Nothing too explicit, but definitely not PG-13. Enjoy and please… I've never written anything like this, so let me know what you think and how I'm doing! Plus let me know what you think about the honeymoon location!**

**Jacob's POV**

DING.

"_Attention all passengers, we have begun our descend and will be landing shortly. The captain has turned on the seatbelt sign, so we ask you to remain in your seats and turn off all electronic devices."_

The voice on the speaker woke me up. At first I was disoriented, where the hell was I? But then, as I turned to find Nessie just starting to wake up and saw the small oval windows and a stewardess walking by, I remembered where I was.

The whole flight had seemed like just a few minutes long, not the 10 hours it had _actually _lasted. We'd been so tired after the wedding that as soon as the plane had taken off, we'd both dozed off. The fact that Pixie had paid for first class had really helped here, because the seats could fully recline, making for some seriously comfortable flying.

"Mmm… are we there yet?" – Ness turned over to look at me, her eyes barely opened.

"We're starting to descend, we should probably sit up." – She nodded and rearranged her seat.

"Did you get some sleep?"

"Oh, yeah… I just woke up a few seconds ago."

She smiled at me and reached for my hand, which I willingly gave her.

"Do you realize we'll be spending an entire week just by ourselves?" – I felt a tingle all over my body when she said this, because it really was a dream come true, to not have to be answering to Edward or anyone else about our relationship, to be able to be with each other without interruptions or meddling, and more importantly, to enjoy _by ourselves_ a nice long trip as newlyweds.

We arrived at Athens airport; we'd just gone through customs and the baggage claim when we saw a man in a suit holding up a sign that read MR. AND MRS. BLACK. Ness and I both turned to look at each other and then back at the man, whom we approached.

"Hello, are you the Blacks?" – I couldn't help but smile at this and found that Ness was enjoying it as well.

"Yes, we are."

"Good, well… come with me please; I'm your driver and will take you where you need to go."

"Where is that?" – Nessie's eyes lit up at the expectance of finally learning something about our trip.

"Mykonos Island… but that's all I can tell you."

"What? Why?"

"The lady that hired me specifically said I couldn't tell you anything… and she was scary, so please don't ask." – Ness gave me a knowing smile and I couldn't help but chuckle, imagining just how pushy Pixie had probably been upon requesting this from the poor chauffer. So because we didn't want to mortify him further, we decided to wait and just see for ourselves what Pixie and Jasper had in store for us.

There was a limo waiting out front, so as soon as our bags where in the trunk, we were off. The drive took only a few minutes until we arrived at some sort of airport annex. The driver took out our bags and silently led us inside.

"Your helicopter is waiting for you."

"Helicopter?" – I'm personally a car guy, but I'd always wanted to ride a chopper. Nessie giggled at my reaction and pulled me by my hair so she could quickly kiss me.

"Yes… if you were to take the ferry, it would take up to two hours, so this is faster."

The pilot came out to greet us and showed us inside, where he strapped us to our chairs and gave us head pieces so we could communicate with him as well as with each other. The driver waved to us and ran back to the limo just as the helices started up and we slowly began to elevate.

The sight was breathtaking; as soon as we reached a certain height, we could see the entire capital city of Athens, and because of our enhanced vision, could make out every detail of every house and building, right down to visualizing the amazing Greek monuments decorating the streets and plazas.

Then there was sea. The most beautiful sea I'd ever laid my eyes on; the water crystal clear with soft hues of turquoise and deep blue, lined with clean white sandy beaches and white washed houses with blue shutters and domes. I had a vision of my Nessie walking along the water and suddenly couldn't wait to get off the chopper, into a bathing suit and in the water, imagining how perfect my baby would look next to this paradise.

No sooner had I thought this than we began to go down, landing on what seemed like a private heliport.

"We're here, welcome to Mykonos Island."

"Are you just leaving us? Can you tell us where to go?"

"We're here; you don't have to go anywhere."

"I'm sorry sir, what I mean to say is, do you know what hotel we're staying at?" – The pilot laughed and nodded toward the building next to the heliport. – "No hotel, you're staying here, this heliport belongs to that villa over there; it's all yours."

We both turned to see a three story villa, perched up on a mountain overlooking the sea. It had the typical Mediterranean architecture and even though it was huge, it somehow still managed to look cozy and welcoming.

"Here? We're staying here?" – Nessie seemed incredulous, which was uncalled for considering we know how Pixie has a tendency to get carried away.

The pilot got out and helped us out of our seats, going to the back to take out our luggage.

"Yes, there's the villa… it's overlooking the Aegean Sea in case you were wondering, over there you have the pool and Jacuzzi area, then to the right you'll find private access to the beach, your own sailboat and in the back of the villa is the way out to the town of Mykonos."

Ness was smiling from ear to ear and I could also feel my own lips spreading wide into a grin. The pilot chuckled at our faces and came over to place the luggage at our feet.

"So… here are the keys to the house and I was told that you'd find on top of the dining table a brochure with information on the island and also a schedule of all the activities planned out for you."

Ness and I both gaped at the man and then at each other. Sure we might have expected luxurious accommodations from Pixie, but never an entire schedule of touristic activities planned out for us.

"Enjoy yourselves… I'll be coming back in a few days to take you on a trip to another island, I'm sure you'll find the details inside. Here's my card… my name is Costa; you can call me if you'd like to visit some other island not considered in your schedule, ok?"

"Yes, thank you very much."

We both shook hands with him and stated walking toward the villa, when we heard him calling out to us.

"Sorry… I almost forgot… Ms. Alice instructed me to give you this." – He handed Nessie a small pink gift bag with a large bow on it. – "She was very firm in saying it was for "your eyes only"."

Ness turned and rolled her eyes at me; just another one of Pixie's little games or whatever. I really didn't care at this point, because by the looks of things this would probably turn out to be the best vacation ever, so I was willing overlook the fact that she had given something _secret _to Ness. The contents of that small insignificant bag where nothing compared to this paradise she'd given us.

Costa said goodbye again, got on the helicopter and flied away. So we continued to walk toward the villa that somehow got bigger and bigger as we approached. The heliport was at the same height as the second floor of the house, so we peered down to find that the first floor coincided with the pool area.

I heard Ness gasp as we looked down. The pool was huge, with a circular Jacuzzi integrated in the far corner of it, facing the beautiful sea. There were tanning chairs lined up on one side and on the other, a huge king size bed underneath a white tent, the fabric surrounding it twirling and waving with the sea breeze.

There was also a built in bar attached to one side of the house, with really cool lounge chairs, all underneath a red tiled roof structure supported by four large white pillars. The entire area was surrounded with large ceramic planters that had all sorts of tall vegetation growing from them, making the site seem intimate and private, as well as providing shade. It all looked like something straight out of MTV Cribs, not that I watch that show.

"Are you as shocked as me?" – Ness' eyes were wide from taking in every single detail.

"More like exceptionally blissfully happy." – She turned and smiled at me, taking my hand once more in hears. I could feel her wedding ring against the skin of my palm and was amazed at how something so little could cause such happiness in me.

"I want to go inside now."

"Ok, but first things first." – I took the handbag she was holding and threw it over my shoulder as I took hold of her and propped her up, carrying her like a bride. – "This isn't exactly our "home" but it will be for the next week, so we better do it right."

She giggled and pulled my neck down so she could kiss me. We continued to kiss as I carried her to the door and clumsily tried to open it without looking. Finally my fingers found the right key and I was able to push the door open with my foot and carry her in; her lips never once leaving mine.

Once we were inside she jumped from my arms and we both began to explore the villa. The inside was even nicer than the outside. The entire place was filled with freshly cut flowers and scented candles. All the furniture looked comfortable and delicious; I could already see myself spending entire afternoons snuggled up with Ness on one of the big sofas. The whole interior was extremely quaint, like the kind of house you'd expect to find in a picturesque Greek village, except for the fact that it was probably four to five times bigger than your average village home.

There were small windows everywhere; on one side you had an amazing view of the sea and on the other, an overview of the village of Mykonos. Ness and I both looked at each other and giggled like little kids, dropping the entire luggage and running from room to room investigating each one.

The level we'd entered in, the second floor, had a small welcoming den with chairs and a coffee table upon entry, then there was a larger seating area like a living room, the dining room and kitchen, with a terrace that opened up like a balcony overlooking the sea and pool area, where there was a smaller dining table with an umbrella, as well as what looked like an outdoor fireplace.

From the terrace you could take these great looking white concrete stairs that were out in the open-air, down toward the first floor.

No wonder Pixie is my favorite of Nessie's aunts, because the first floor was a guy's dream. There were no separations or partitions, just a big space intended for only one thing… fun. There was a home theater with a huge flat screen TV, huge speakers and comfy chairs, a pool table, a mini bar, a massive fish tank that went from one corner to the other and an area that was upholstered from floor to ceiling and had cushions everywhere, like a huge tridimensional bed. The space was completely opened to the pool area, the only thing separating it were these very light and airy white curtains. On the other side of the curtains, but still with a roof on top, was a seating area right next to the pool's bar.

"This is…"

"Awesome!" – Ness giggled at my expression.

"I was going to say dreamy… but awesome works." – She continued to giggle as I pulled her closer, kissing the tip of her nose.

"Mmmm… you missed." – She had on her naughty face, liking her lips suggestively, asking… no, begging for me to kiss her. I slowly leaned in and took hold of her lower lip with my mouth, sucking on it and even biting it slightly, all the while thinking in my head "this is my wife!"

"Jake…" – She spoke into my mouth, just before tracing my lips with her sweet tongue.

"Mmmm…"

"You want to go see the bedroom?" - A jolt of electricity hit my body hard. Of course checking out a bedroom was harmless, unless you know what it'll lead up to. I pulled back and saw that her naughty face was replaced with shyness. I smiled at her, trying to seem calm, but failed. This was something we'd been longing for far too long, something we'd begun to do many times before but where interrupted, and now, we were all alone and _married,_ nothing standing in our way. But somehow I was apprehensive, scared even; and I could tell she was too. Maybe because all the other times had happened naturally, spontaneously, but now this was planned, expected.

"Um, sure." – My hands were shaking at this point, so instead of taking her hand as usual, I just motioned for her to take the lead, which she did without a word. We went up the open-air stairs toward the second floor and from there we took another flight of stairs, this time indoor, that lead to the third floor. The smell of fresh flowers and candles that I had liked so much upon entry, were now making me somewhat nauseous; and I just prayed that once we got going, I would stop being _this_ nervous.

The third floor was smaller. The stairs arrived at a small living room that had a view of the village and was roofed by a blue dome, letting in soft rays of light from above. There was a spare bedroom, which I didn't even bother to take a look at, and then an archway that I imagined let to the master bedroom. I inhaled as we walked in and was pleasantly surprised with what I saw.

The room was enormous, with a separate seating area with a flat screen TV and state of the art sound system. The room had two huge glass doors that opened up completely and lead toward a balcony draped with flowers. I was sure the view would be astonishing, but right now the balcony was the least of my concerns, as well as the bathroom that appeared to be the size of my house. I unwillingly turned my gaze toward the bed. If anyone would ever want to lose their virginity, they'd want to do it in _this_ bed. First of all, it was big… not king size but god size. Secondly, the sheets looked as soft as fabric could get, with large pillows in the back as well as a small quilt draped up front. The bed was bordered by four tall wooden pillars, from which white translucent curtains hung, making it look sexy as hell.

I turned to find Nessie eying the bed as well; nervously twirling her curls in her fingers. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out, so I breathed in and tried again, only to be silenced by her ringtone. She looked at me before answering.

"Hello?"

"_Ness? Are you there yet? You forgot to call us!" _– Bella was on the other side.

"Oh, sorry mom… we just got in a few minutes ago."

"_Ok, just wanted to know if you're fine… won't take up any more of your time… so… have fun…bye."_ – Ness was just about to hang up when she spoke again. – _"Oh, wait… Alice wants to talk to you."_

"_Nessie?"_

"Hi Alice… this place is amazing!"

"_You see… I always know what's best! Listen, you can thank me later… just one thing… did you open the present I left you?"_

"Um…no." – Nessie still had the bag hanging from her arm and looked down at it.

"_Ok… open it! Before you… um… do anything… anything else, just open it, ok?"_

"Fine."

"_And remember… your eyes only!"_

"Ok, I promise."

"_Ok, have fun… bye."_

This time Nessie _did_ hang up and even discreetly turned off her phone, something I'm guessing she didn't want me to see from the way she did it.

"Sorry about that." – I shrugged my shoulders, still unable to articulate a single word. Nessie blushed for some reason when I did this, and turned on her heel toward the bathroom.

"I'll just… um… I'll just go in here to see what Alice gave me… and then we can…"

"Ok." – Finally a word. Not the most eloquent of words, but at least I got my voice back. She blushed again and hurried into the bathroom.

I stood there, with my heart pumping louder than ever, eying the bed and getting more anxious by the minute. "This is insane" I thought to myself, this is Nessie for crying out loud, the love of my life, my soul mate and best friend, this shouldn't be stressful, shouldn't be a big deal. Except it _was_ a big deal, a _very _big deal. I secretly wondered if Edward had put off the whole "sleeping with Bella" not because of morals but because he was nervous about it, the idea gave me some comfort until I realized that being the know-it-all smug leech that he is, he probably rocked Bella's world with little effort.

I heard Nessie drop something in the bathroom and hurried to the door.

"Are you ok?" – My voice sounded so hoarse I was afraid she might not even recognize it.

"Um… yeah… just a sec… I'll be out in a few minutes." – For some reason I noticed panic in the tone of her voice and for the first time since Costa gave it to her, I felt curious about the contents of Pixie's present. I took in a deep breath, realizing _that_ was just one more worry to add to my already long list, so instead of going berserk from the wait, I decided to go out into the balcony, enjoy the view and wait for Ness to come out. What was to come after that… well, I'd rather not think about it just yet.

**Nessie's POV**

I couldn't care less about what was in Aunt Alice's bag, not when Jake looked so smoldering hot it was beginning to get hard to breath. The only reason I'd agreed to open it as soon as I hung up the phone was to give myself some time to calm down and get a grip. Sure it was something I'd pushed for before we were married, but now, being in the most romantic place I'd ever been in, alone with Jake and _knowing_ what was coming; well, it was definitely getting to my nerves.

I hurried inside the bathroom and took a long hard look at myself in the mirror. In many ways I still felt like a child, _not_ like a married woman; and it didn't help that I looked about 17 years old. I took in a long series of breaths; in through the nose, out through the mouth, hoping to compose myself. Then I splashed some water on my face and turned to glance at Alice's bag sitting on the counter. Since I was away from Jake, I decided to have a look at the gift and get it over with already; so I placed my hand inside and pulled it out, only to be shocked upon seeing it. I was so surprised that I took a step back and accidentally knocked over a shelf that was hanging on the wall, filled with shampoos, soaps and such.

"Are you ok?" – Jake's voice startled me even more, especially since it sounded really hoarse and low.

"Um… yeah… just a sec… I'll be out in a few minutes." – If I was lucky. I hung the shelf back on the wall and shoved all the bottles back in place before turning back toward the present. It was the sexiest and skimpiest piece of lingerie I'd seen in my entire life. It was all in black lace, with a few leather details accentuating certain areas, as well as a tiny black silk robe that didn't even reach my thighs. The lingerie wasn't trampy or trashy, but just the sight of it and the thought of Jacob looking at it made me blush beyond recognition. I put my hand inside the bag, searching for something more, surely Alice would have given me more options. I found a card and recognized my aunt's handwriting.

DEAR RENESMEE,

I'M SURE THAT BY NOW YOU WOULD HAVE NOTICED THAT I THOUGHT OF EVERYTHING FOR YOUR HONEYMOON; AND OF COURSE THAT ALSO INCLUDES THE… SHALL WE CALL IT… RECREATION? SO HERE'S A LITTLE SOMETHING TO HELP YOU OUT. TRUST ME.

AUNT ALICE

The words "trust me" stuck out from the letter. Should I trust her and put this on? We were talking about one time thing here, so should I risk making the mistake of wearing just what I had on?

I peeked at my underwear and even though it was nice, there was really no comparison to the getup lying in from of me. I put my hand inside the bag one more time, hoping to find something that might convince me, but came up short. I heard Jacob pacing outside and realized I'd been in this freaking bathroom for way to long, so it was now or never, make up my mind and just deal with the result.

So without thinking, without breathing, I took off my clothes and put on the teeny tiny bikini bottom and the almost see-through pushup bra. I took a deep breath and looked in the mirror getting pleasantly surprised when I saw that I didn't look like a kid anymore, more like a Victoria Secret model. The undies fit perfectly and made my butt and thighs look firm and just right; and as for the bra, well, let's just say that it produced the kind of effect women pay plastic surgeons thousands of dollars for. I heard Jacob outside again, pacing and then stopping and then pacing again. I really needed to hurry, so I threw on the silk robe and tied it around my waist, noticing how even with the robe my breasts popped out.

I turned on my heel, placed my hand on the doorknob and panicked. What if Jacob thought I looked ridiculous? What if he laughed at me? I knew of course he would never ever do that, but still, was this outfit too much? I took my hand off the doorknob and willed myself to calm down, to realize that the man out there was my husband, that he would probably flip over the underwear, that nothing else mattered besides the fact that we would finally be together and that no item of clothing could ever make or break that. So I braced myself and walked out the door, feeling a flush of shyness when I saw his figure.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the bathroom. He had his head in his hands and looked up once he heard the door open, only to open his eyes wide at the sight of me. I stood there, twirling my curls in my hands, not at all posing or anything, as he stared at me up and down with an expression that can only be described as awe.

"Ness… I… you look… wow… I mean… I didn't… where did you get that?" – I got Goosebumps all over my body from his fumbling reaction. Thank you Alice.

"It was Alice's present." – Jacob ran his hand through his hair and looked me over one more time.

"I need a minute." – He got up and walked over to the window and then back again. – "I mean… damn Ness… this is too much for me… do you… do you have any idea how you look?"

I smiled, unable to answer. This wasn't exactly a walk in the park for me either.

"I could go change." – The last thing I wanted was to inhibit him, especially in this particular moment, so I started to turn around back toward the bathroom when I felt him hold me in place.

"Don't you dare." – I couldn't help but giggle, not my usual amused giggle, more like a neurotic on the verge of a nervous breakdown one. He laughed to, a shaky nervous laugh, but it still calmed me down.

He came closer and tangled his hands in my hair, taking hold of fistfuls of curls, leaned down and pressed his forehead to mine.

"I don't know why I'm so nervous." – His voice sounded more seductive than nervous and I suddenly felt an uncontrollable urge to kiss him. As if he'd read my mood, he smiled and bit his lower lip, before closing the gap and kissing me.

I wrapped my arms around his narrow waist and pulled him closer as we continued to kiss. We where kissing so hard I was sure one of us would end up bleeding; Jacob's tongue was doing the most extraordinary things as I tried to keep from moaning, too loud that is. We broke apart to catch our breaths, as Jacob pulled his shirt off and threw it on the floor as I took off the silk robe. His eyes were fierce and ardent, enough to make my knees want to buckle. He was just beginning to unbuckle his belt when I stopped him, wanting to do it myself. So he stood there, giving me the sexiest look on Earth as I took off his belt and unbuttoned his pants. We were both shaking and breathing hard, with the rhythm of our hearts synchronized.

When his pants were off he tossed them aside and continued to kiss me, this time taking his hands from my hair to caress me. I could feel them moving up and down my back thighs and smiled almost to myself because this was area he seemed to really enjoy, judging from our previous encounters. The feeling of his big rough hands on my soft skin was amazing and I couldn't help but let out soft moans every time he squeezed my butt.

He then let go of me, but only to pull me towards the bed. He slipped his index finger in the hem of my panties and pulled me playfully, as he walked backwards to the bed. He never once took his eyes off me, not even when he sat on the bed and began to sweetly kiss my tummy.

Before I knew it, I climbed on top of him and pushed him into a laying position. Now it was my turn to caress him with my lips, starting from his neck and making my way down his sculptural torso. I heard him groan as I passed his navel and continued down. I glanced up at him, only to find him with his hands over his head and his eyes pressed shut, as if he were having a massive headache, which I knew wasn't the case. I glanced back down and knew that at some point his black boxer briefs would have to come off, so even though my heart was at risk of exploding, I stopped kissing him and pulled them down.

I'd been afraid of this moment, the moment when I'd finally see him completely naked. But of course, as always, Jake exceeded my expectations; he was perfect in every way. I caught him looking at me, with not one trace of embarrassment on his face.

"Now it's my turn." – He hoisted himself up into a semi sitting position, resting the upper half of his body on his bent elbows. Somehow whatever embarrassment I could have had before went away as I looked into his loving longing eyes. So I unhooked my braw and let him slip it off with his hands, tossing it aside with a playful smile on his face. He leaned forward the rest of the way until he was in a full seating position and began to kiss my breasts, cupping them in his strong hands and softly caressing my nipples with his thumbs. I took hold of his hair and pulled it, biting down on my lip, trying to keep from screaming because of the immense pleasure he was giving me. I was enjoying it so much that I almost hit him when he stopped.

He smiled when he saw my pouting face and kissed my lips briefly, before focusing his attention on my panties. Since I was sitting on top of him, basically straddling him with my knees bent on the bed, there was no way he'd be able to slip them off. So, having lost all shyness at this point, I got up and stood on the bed, directly above him with my feet on each side of him. He looked up at me and smiled, and even thought I'd already seen _him_ naked, from that smile I could tell he was apprehensive about seeing me.

He slid both hands upwards, took hold of my panties and started slowly pulling them down, taking the longest time, until they reached my ankles and I was able to slip them off and kick them to the side. He was still looking up at me, contemplating me; I could feel his eyes take in every inch of me. So we just stood there, looking at each other, our pupils dilated from the beauty our eyes where witnessing. I could have stayed there for hours, letting his eyes roam my body, but I wanted more, much more than just looking; so I sat back down on top of him and kissed him one more time. I felt his hands make their way to my inner thighs and shivered at his touch, as he traced circles with his thumbs, getting closer and closer each time.

I was panting now, really panting; and sweating, something I rarely do. Jake's skin was scorching hot, more than usual, burning and melting into mine.

"Ness… Ness…" – He whispered my name in my ear as he continued to touch me. At this point I'd become mute, unable to utter a single word that wouldn't be confused for a pant or a moan.

I felt Jake slightly shift his position and take hold of my butt, pulling me closer and arranging me more comfortably on him. And then it happened… like nothing I'd ever felt in my entire life, like a force bigger than myself striking my body, like the stars had aligned and asteroids had collided… Jake was inside of me.

I opened my eyes at the shock of feeling him inside me, only to see that he too had his eyes opened and was looking at me in such a way I thought I'd explode. If I thought kissing him was amazing, this was something otherworldly. He pulled me closer and I couldn't help but let out a loud moan at the feeling of his entire penis in me.

I instinctively began to move my pelvis, the friction making my insides burn. Now it was Jake who was moaning, loudly. The sound of his deep voice in so much pleasure was music to my ears. He wrapped his big strong arms around me and started digging his fingers in my back, the way a masseuse would; but of course that was nothing compared to the pleasure I was experiencing down below. He would kiss me from time to time but would be unable to keep going for too long without stopping to throw his head back and gasp in ecstasy.

"Jake…" – I breathed. I needed to say his name even if speaking at this moment was surprisingly difficult. - "Oh Jake… "

We continued to move in sync, our naked bodies merging together until there was only one. The emotion, unbearably enough, kept growing and growing until there was nothing in this world but the two of us enraptured in bubble of excruciating pleasure. I couldn't take it anymore, feeling as though my body would just burst and collapse, unwillingly letting out loud screams; anything to express what I was feeling.

Then it was all a blur, like falling into unconsciousness but without the numbness. I gasped for air as though I'd been underwater for far too long and opened my eyes, finding Jacob still there in all his glory, with his forehead pressed to mine and breathing heavily, drops of sweat adorning his forehead and hanging on the tips of his disheveled hair. A half smile was adorning his lips as he stared into my eyes, passion still burning in his. His lips searched mine and we kissed until our breathing somewhat stabilized; he then leaned back into a lying position, pulling me with him.

As I lay there on top of him, I paid attention to the rhythm of his heart and the feeling of his lungs expanding and contracting next to mine. I closed my eyes and slowly drifted into sleep, knowing my husband was next to me and everything around me… perfect.

**Please review!!!!!!**


	28. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters; I'm just a fan having fun. No copywrite infringement intended. **

**Chapter 27**

**Nessie's POV**

I opened my eyes and realized it was still light out. Jacob was next to me and somehow we'd both gotten under the delicious bed covers. The second thing I noticed upon waking was a strange soreness from the waist down; being half vampire, I rarely experience normal human inconveniences like muscle soreness and such, meaning I can exercise for hours without the "normal" next day pain; so this feeling was certainly unusual. I glanced at the clock and saw it was three in the afternoon, which meant we'd slept the entire morning through to the afternoon.

Jacob was sleeping beside me, looking so much like a peaceful little boy that you'd think the previous episode had never happened… but it did. I had to suppress a giggle of excitement to avoid waking him up, which was hard considering I felt like jumping up and down and screaming my lungs out. I snuggled up closer to him and resigned to just think about everything that had happened, trying to remember everything down to the last detail and feeling my insides get hotter as it all came back to me. I closed my eyes and tried to remember the feeling of his hands on my body, the heat of his bare skin next to mine and the sensation of the moment he came inside of me.

"What are you thinking?" – His voice startled me, making me jump slightly. He was looking at me with an amused face.

"Um…" – Suddenly I felt embarrassed for my daydreaming, even though it was more a memory than a dream. – "Nothing."

"Mmmm… interesting how _nothing_ makes you smile like that."

"Fine… I was thinking about this morning… it was…"

"I know…" – He gave me one of his huge Jacob grins and we both started laughing.

"God Ness… I didn't think it would be like that… I mean, sort of… but not… you know. I mean… it was good for you too right?" – His eyebrows merged at the center and a crease formed on his forehead. Was he kidding me? How could he not tell that it had been amazing for me? Didn't he hear me scream like a crazy person right at the end?

"Jake, I love you but your insane! It was better than good… I mean, how can you even doubt that?" – He smiled and pulled me closer.

"Sorry… I just worry, I mean, I want to make you happy."

"You already make me happy just by existing."

"What I meant to say is… I want to _satisfy_ you." – The simple word coming out of his mouth was enough to set me on fire. I got out of the covers and climbed on top of him, at this point beyond caring that I was still naked.

"Really?" – I wiggled my eyebrows, causing him to laugh as he held my waist and caressed my tummy with his thumbs. – "Because I have a few ideas."

"I'm all ears."

"Well, if you're worried about your performance… they say practice makes perfect… lots and lots of practice." – I leaned down on top of him and we started to kiss.

"Ok, on one condition." – Before I could ask "what", he flipped me over so that now _he_ was the one on top, growling playfully. – "I'd like to be on top this time." – I giggled and pulled him by his hair back toward me, so I could keep kissing him. He was supporting his weight on one arm, while he moved the other downward to caress me. When he reached my abdomen and pressed it with his hand, I unwillingly let out an "ouch". He immediately stopped and looked at me with alarm in his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"I… it's nothing… I'm just…" – I hated myself for having to say it, afraid that once he heard it he'd pull away from me. – "I'm just a little sore, that's all."

"Oh baby… I didn't mean to, I didn't know… I'm sorry… we can do this when you feel better." – He started to get up off me and I suddenly really hated having to be only "half vampire" because a full vampire would not have to deal with this.

"No, please Jake… I want you." – I braced myself, expecting his overprotective nature to kick in. But it didn't; instead of getting up he leaned in closer.

"You sure?" – I nodded, not wanting to say anything that could persuade him otherwise. He smiled and kissed the tip of my nose. – "Ok… I can be very gentle."

His voice was low, almost a whisper, but it was enough to make my entire body pulsate with desire; and it didn't help that he said it while looking at me with the same smoldering intense gaze he'd given me earlier. He began to lightly kiss me, starting from my neck and moving downward. His lips barely touched my skin, like some sort of provocative tease. When he reached my breasts, instead of roughly feeling them like he had before, he continued with the light kissing; tracing my nipple with his tongue, causing me to shiver.

He smiled up at me upon my response and continued to make his way down, reaching my lower abdomen. I opened my legs up a bit, hoping he'd take the invitation and kiss me where I _really _wanted to be kissed.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you." – I looked down and realized he was actually talking to my… vagina. I let out a huge laugh, leave it to Jake to never lose his sense of humor. He gave me a teasing look and continued.

"I love you very much and I promise I'll never hurt you again… in fact, I'm hoping to make you feel real good." – That was it; I couldn't take any more foreplay. I took his face in my hands and pulled it back toward mine, all the while projecting with my palms "shut up and get in here already", to which he chuckled.

I opened my legs up for him and wrapped them around his back, pulling him as close as I could to me. This time around it was gentler, softer. I could tell Jake was being extra careful, keeping his movements slow and tender as to avoid hurting me. At first the soreness was keeping me from fully enjoying the moment, but after a while I forgot all about it, especially when Jacob started to moan and whisper things into my ear. Because of the softness of our movements, it went on forever, the feeling of Jake in me as surprisingly delicious as it had been the first time.

"Are… are you ok?" – His words were barely audible through his and my pants.

"Yes… don't stop… god, don't stop."

We both reached our climax and relaxed, Jacob staying on top of me with his arms around me and his head resting on my chest. I absentmindedly ran my fingers through his hair, as we both regulated our frantic breathing.

"God Ness… you feel so good… why did we ever put this off?"

"We weren't married… remember?"

"Oh right… good thing we are now, cause I'll never want to stop doing this."

"I sure hope not."

"And we have an entire week… no nosy leeches, not jobs to go to, no homework, no nothing." - He looked up at me with his puppy dog eyes and couldn't help but wonder how I could love him so much, how the magnitude of my love hadn't already squashed me to death.

I was just about to say something when Jake's stomach growled, the sensation tickling me.

"Sorry… guess I'm hungry… what time is it anyway?"

"Three o'clock."

"Wow, we slept a while huh? I'll tell you what, I'll go downstairs and see what Pixie stocked in the fridge and we can have "breakfast" in bed, what do you say?"

"Ok… but hurry." – For some reason my attachment to Jake had multiplied by a hundred and the mere thought of having him just a few feet away in the kitchen, away from me, was painful. He simply smiled and supported his weight over me to kiss me, before getting off the bed and walking out. I turned to watch him leave, enjoying the way his naked body looked from behind and blushing when he turned and caught me doing it.

It turns out Aunt Alice had really thought of everything, because she stocked half of the fridge with Jake's favorite "human" food and then the other half with plastic bags containing blood, as well as a fresh supply of raw meant in the freezer. It was a good thing because I don't think my honeymoon would have been very fun if I would have had to eat human food the _entire_ week.

So while Jake helped himself to scrambled eggs and bacon, I sat in bed with a cup of deer blood, drinking away.

"You remind me of Bella right now." – I gave him a look that made him laugh out loud and quickly rephrase.

"No, no! I mean, not the whole naked in bed thing… the drinking blood out of a cup thing. It just reminded me when she was pregnant with you… even then all you wanted was blood." – He laughed again and ran his hand through my hair, smoothing it out before tucking it behind my ear.

"Why do you have to be so jealous?" – He didn't say it angry or worried, more like amused.

"Well what am I supposed to think when I'm sitting here _naked_ and you think about mom?!" – He laughed again.

"Baby… trust me… stinky Bella _on her best day_ couldn't possibly do to me what you do."

"And what's that?"

"Drive me crazy for one…" – He laughed again and took my hand in his. – "Make me almost have a heart attack every time I look at you, no matter how many times I've seen you before… want to touch you and feel you so bad it actually hurts… want to spend every waking hour near you… get all sweaty and nervous when you smile at me… should I keep going?"

"No… I got it." – He laughed again at me for trying to act all cool and failing miserably.

"Good… cuz it's kind of insulting for you to think I have the hots for a leech." – He was teasing now, making me giggle. –"No, seriously… I mean, come on, Bella?"

"She's beautiful." – For some reason I felt like defending her, silly considering a second ago I'd gotten jealous. Jake laughed and shook his head at me.

"You're something else Ness."

"Shut up and eat your breakfast." – Jake looked up at me, with his eyebrows raised in mock shock.

"Oh… so you have your way with me and now you think you can boss me around?"

"Have _my way with you_?" – I was laughing hard now, throwing myself back on the pillow as Jake sat there with his arms crossed, pretending it wasn't funny.

"I'm not some sex toy you know." – He was trying to keep a straight face and fake indignation.

"Mmm… really? That's too bad, because I felt like playing again." – A huge grin spread out on his face but he quickly rearranged it back to the "serious" act he had going on.

"Well… only if you ask nicely." – He turned his face away from me, pretending to be disinterested. We'd both finished our "breakfast" and my soreness was fading, so I thought, why not? It _is_ my honeymoon after all. So I got up and walked toward the bathroom, feeling his gaze on me. When I reached the door I simply called out –"I'll be taking a shower… in case you'd like to join me."

I didn't have to call out again, because half a second later he was standing behind me, hugging my waist.

"Well that wasn't exactly "nicely" but it'll do."

The bathroom was huge, something I hadn't even noticed the first time I'd entered it, considering I was hyperventilating and having a nervous breakdown. Upon entry was a tiled counter with two lavish sinks and a mirror. To one side was the entrance to what I guessed was the walk-in closet and to the other the rest of the bathroom. It had a small sauna, a shower that appeared to have a whirlpool system that sprayed water at different angels and heights and finally a huge bathtub under a small dome on the house's roof.

The shower was amazing, with the hot water massaging us from different angles. We began to bathe innocently, with Jake lathering up my body as I soaped him up as well. But after the kissing started, there was no point in holding back. Jake looked so damn sexy, with his wet hair falling wildly over his eyes, it was hard to believe he was all mine. He pressed me against the wet tile as I extended my arms to the sides, trying to keep my balance because of the slippery floor. We managed to get it on without slipping or falling down, although we did crack one of the shower's glass doors, which considering our strength, was pretty mild damage.

"We're going to have to pay for that you know." – Jake was drying himself with a towel as I wrapped mine around me and started blowing my hair with a dryer hanging next to the sink mirror.

"I'm not the one that got carried away and pushed the other one hard against it." – I gave him a teasing smile which he reciprocated.

"Well what was I supposed to do when you kept calling out "more… oh yes… more"?" – I felt my face grow hot but refused to be embarrassed out and was determined to stand my ground.

"I can't be held accountable for the things I say during sex." – It felt strange to hear the words coming out of my mouth, like someone else was saying them. Since when do I speak of sex like a normal occurrence? I'm sure I was blushing at this point, but still.

"Oh… so you didn't mean it when you said you didn't want me to stop? Because if that's the case, next time maybe I just will."

"If there _is_ a next time." – He wrapped the towel around his waist and came closer to me.

"Don't play like that." – I giggled but then stopped when I noticed he was serious.

"What?"

"Just… just promise me we'll be together forever… please."

"What's gotten into you? I was teasing!"

"I know, but still… if before I thought I couldn't live without you, now I _know_ for sure I can't."

"Jake, you're never going to get rid of me, ok? I'm sticking around… forever. So please, stop with the pessimism, this is our honeymoon, just the beginning."

"You're right, I'm sorry. So… where were we… something about the things you say during sex?" – I giggled and pushed him aside so I could continue drying my unruly hair as he chuckled and spanked my butt on his way out the door.

"Ouch, that hurt!" – I called out after him.

"Good!" – He yelled from the bedroom.

After putting some clothes on, we decided to take a look at the schedule Aunt Alice had left for us.

On the first day, today Sunday, there was a smiley face drawn with a note that said "do not disturb", to which we both chuckled.

On the second day, there was a guided tour of the village during the morning and in the afternoon she'd arranged for us to take a yacht around the island. Tuesday there was a spa appointment with all expenses paid and a reservation at Mykonos's most famous restaurant for dinner. Wednesday seemed like an exciting day because Costa would be coming to pick us up to take us to the island of Zakynthos, located on the Ionian sector of Greece. According to the description she'd written down, Zakynthos is famous for being the most "untouched" island in Greece, conserving most of its original natural surroundings. We'd get a chance to go scuba diving, swim with the famous and endangered Caretta-Caretta turtle that comes to that island only once a year and finally, we'd get to go to the also famous Blue caves.

"Wow… when did Pixie find the time to set this up, what with the wedding plans and all?"

"It helps when you don't sleep."

"That's for sure… this is great, so much better than anything I could have come up with."

"I'm sure you could have come up with something amazing."

"Are you just saying that because I rocked your world earlier in the shower or because you mean it?" – He gave me a teasing smile and this time I couldn't keep up the joke, blushing profusely and turning away from him. "Mmmm… is that a yes, I_ did_ rock your world?"

"Stop it!" – My face was red hot as Jake tried to pull me toward him to get a better look at me.

"Come on Ness… what's with the shyness all of a sudden?" – He was laughing loudly, pulling at me as I tried to get away.

"I'm just getting used to this ok? And I feel embarrassed when you say stuff like that."

"Sorry, I can't help it; especially when I get this kind of response. Do you know how cute you look when you blush?"

"So you're actually enjoying my mortification?!" – He let out another huge laugh when I said this.

"I'm enjoying _you_… period." - He stopped laughing and just smiled at me, searching for my lips, which he willingly found.

"So what do you want to do now?" – He wiggled his eyebrows at my question. – "Besides having sex." – He pouted to which I laughed.

"How about we take a walk on the beach and find a place to eat dinner? Sound good?"

"Ok, except for the dinner part, you can eat and I'll just watch."

So we did just that, went for a long relaxing walk on the beach. The scenery was beautiful, like the kind of place you'd dream of living in. The sun was still shining brightly well into the afternoon, which felt so good coming from a place that's gloomy and cloudy through the year. It was a shame my parents couldn't enjoy something like this, having to always live under the shade, hiding their magnificent diamond skin. I turned to look at Jake, an overwhelming feeling of happiness overtaking me. I wondered how life could be so perfect, how _he _could be so perfect.

**Jacob's POV**

"Wakey wakey Jakey!"

Ness was standing next to the bed with a tray in her hands, a delicious aroma coming from it.

"Hi… what's that?"

"Breakfast… I woke up early today, couldn't keep sleeping, so I decided to cook for you… it's not like momma's cooking but…"

"It's better." – I affirmed, sitting up and taking the tray from her. I noticed how she blushed slightly and smiled, almost to herself. She came to sit on the other side of the bed as I began to eat the pancakes she'd made for me.

"So what time is the tour of the village?" – I noticed she was already dressed and worried that I might have overslept.

"Don't worry, we have to be there in half an hour; plenty of time for you to get ready."

"And for something else perhaps?" – I wasn't sure if I was being reasonable or a complete dog, but I wanted her so much that I didn't even care. So I was completely discouraged when she smiled but shook her head.

"I already took a shower and got dressed… we don't want to be late."

"Ok, sure." – I acted all nonchalant when really I felt like a squashed bug. This was bad; I didn't think that once we slept together I'd become so obsessed with it and want to be with her constantly, but I was. I watched as she got off the bed and began to take her clothes out of the bag as to hang them in the closet and wondered if she felt the same way. I really did hope so because there's no way I'd be able to deal with these desires by myself.

Once I finished eating, hopped in the shower and got dressed, we were off to the village, where Pixie's instructions said to wait for the guide in front of the Cathedral. After asking around we arrived at the site and found an elegantly dressed older man with a sign that read "Jacob and Nessie".

"Hi, we're Jacob and Nessie."

"Well hello young lady… and hello sir… my name is Nikolas, I'm your private tour guide… shall we get started?"

We walked all around the Mykonos village, stopping at certain spots so he could tell us about them. We entered the Cathedral and other significant buildings as well as two museums. Nessie stopped in several shops and bought all kinds of souvenirs to take back home and took about a million photographs. Although the village was breathtakingly beautiful, I was really glad when the tour was over, because it's not fun to be stuck listening to some senior citizen telling you about history when what you really want to do is find a quiet place and make love to your wife. Nessie kept giving me naughty looks all throughout the tour, so much so that once or twice I felt tempted to just pull her somewhere out of sight and make love to her right then and there.

"I hope you enjoyed the tour… this is my card in case you have any questions or would like for me to recommend other fine places to visit in Greece."

"Thank you so much, the tour was fascinating." – I wouldn't go so far as to say that, but apparently Ness had a better time than me. So we said goodbye to the guide and were finally left alone.

"At what time is the yacht trip?" – Again, I couldn't care less about the trip, but was just asking to know if we had time to fool around a bit.

"The schedule said four o'clock. Apparently it's picking us up right at the villa, since it has its own dock." – Nessie smiled at me and continued to look around the village. - "Are you hungry? Its lunch time, do you want to find a place to eat?"

"What about you?"

"I'll just drink some blood when we get to the villa. That place looks nice." – She was signaling toward a small café but I really wasn't interested.

"Why don't we go now to the villa…? I mean… there's food there, you can eat too and we can relax by the pool until they come to get us." – I mentally crossed my fingers, hoping she wouldn't want to keep shopping or walking around the village, because I'd had enough of both.

"Sounds like a plan! I've been dying to try out the Jacuzzi." – I'd been dying for something else, but kept it to myself, worried she might take it the wrong way. Was it wrong to want her like this? She was my wife after all and I did love her more than life itself, but was this insatiable need something I _should_ be feeling? I remembered the time I asked Sam about physically wanting Ness, and how he'd said that he'd "gone crazy for Emily… in every way". Did he mean like this? Had he wanted to basically make love to her every five minutes?

"What are you thinking?" – I caught Ness examining me, a crease forming in her forehead.

"Um… nothing… why?"

"You got all quiet and serious... is something wrong?"

"Of course not baby."

"You didn't like the tour, did you?" – She was giving me a knowing smile, which really didn't surprise me since she knows better than anyone.

"Not too much."

"Why didn't you say anything, we could have cut it short?"

"I mean… I did like to see the village; it was just all that historic crap that bored me." – She giggled and took my hand.

"Ok, I promise no more historic crap from now on."

We walked back to the villa; I would have preferred to run, but again, I didn't want Ness to think all I wanted to do was shack up with her and never leave the bedroom, even if that was the case. We got home and Ness ran to the bedroom to put on her swimsuit as I headed for the kitchen to fix my lunch. Thankfully Pixie had been smart enough to buy microwave pizza, so I grabbed two and threw them in the microwave as I headed upstairs myself.

Ness was just coming out of the room with her bikini already on and a towel in her hand. I'd seen her in this bikini before, but somehow she looked even hotter now. She smiled when my heart stuttered upon seeing her, probably having heart it herself.

"I'll go start up the Jacuzzi; I left your swimsuit on the bed."

So I took my clothes off in a hurry, threw on my trunks and hurried downstairs. When I got there, Nessie was already in the hot tub.

"This is really good! You have no idea! Get in here!" – Her face was so lit up with happiness that I quickly forgot about my own sexual desires and was just eager to spend this time with her, in any way.

The water was delicious and the turbo jets felt so good I knew we'd spend every second of our downtime in here.

"So?"

"This is good, really good." – Nessie laughed and signaled to the side of the Jacuzzi.

"You're pizza is over there, I figured we could eat in here."

So we did, Nessie drank her blood as I chugged down my food. We continued to relax after finishing our lunch, laughing and talking about the wedding party.

"Did you see the fit Clair threw when they wanted to take her home?!" – Nessie was laughing as she remembered.

"Man I know! And did you see Quil's face? Sometimes I feel sorry for the guy, cuz that kid's spoiled!"

"Was I like that? With you?"

"No baby, are you kidding me? You were an angel, so well behaved and charming and smart and cute as hell."

"Well, I'm sure Quil thinks that about Clair." – I hadn't really thought about it like that. I tried to remember what Ness was like as a child, trying to figure out if maybe I _had_ spoiled her, but somehow I couldn't muster the thought, mostly because of what we'd done yesterday. For some reason it felt wrong to remember Ness like that, so innocent and pure, and now, because of me, so… different.

"Let's talk about something else." – Ness laughed.

"Why?"

"I don't know… I just don't want to talk about Quil and Clair, ok?"

"Well, what _do_ you want to talk about?" – She was coming closer, moving from her side of the tub to mine. I breathed in and braced myself, tortured by the option of just innocently relaxing with Ness by the pool or asking of her the thing I wanted the most but was troubled to want.

When she was close enough I wrapped my arms around her waist.

"I don't know… do _you_ have anything you want to talk about?" – I hoped she did, so she could distract me from this burning desire.

"What if I _don't_ want to talk?"

Before I could say anything, I felt her hands move downward, pulling at my swim trunks. I looked around, suddenly very aware that we were outside and in broad shiny daylight. My action caused her to let out a loud laugh.

"Would you relax?! I don't smell a human for several feet and besides, we're too high up to be seen by anyone. Aunt Alice really _did_ think of everything."

"Are you sure?" – At this point my senses were so distracted with her touch and closeness that even if a vampire where standing right next to me, I doubt I'd notice.

"I'm sure." – She leaned in closer and kissed me, just as she pulled my trunks completely off. We continued to kiss and touch, Ness looking radiant and beaming at me, turning me on even more.

"Jake… do… do you want me?" – It was crazy for her to even ask, especially since I'd spent the entire morning pining after her.

"Baby… you have no idea… "

"Then make love to me." – As always, her wish was my command, not that I didn't wish the same thing. So I pulled the strings tying down her bikini on each side and slipped it off, running my hands on her bare hips and loving the feeling of her soft wet skin.

She smiled as she pulled away from me and swam backwards toward her side, a move I wasn't expecting. She sat back and waited for me, giving me a look that made the ground under me shake. We stayed looking at each other from either side of the hot tub for an unbearable amount of time; but for some reason, I was reluctant to move closer to her, because every second of this was just a bigger built up to the actual moment we'd be together.

Finally I couldn't take it any longer and swam toward her as she giggled in expectance. I reached for her and pulled her closer, taking her by her thighs and spreading her legs opened. She grabbed my waist and pulled herself closer to me, closing the gap between our bodies.

A current of lightning went through my body as I went inside her; the force of the connection so strong and potent that it almost hurt. She moaned, making me go crazy with desire. This whole thing was something I wasn't expecting, not at this level. Just to know that I was inside her was enough, but to be able to actually _feel_ her was something else. Her insides were so hot and moist that I couldn't help but groan and gasp in ecstasy.

She looked so sexy, throwing her head back as I moved my hips back and forth, increasing both our heart rates and moans.

"Ness… I love you… I love you so much…"

"Jake…" – She was kissing and biting my neck now, leaving small aching marks on my body. I pressed closer to her, pushing her into the Jacuzzi's edge and cracking its wall.

"Damn…" – I suddenly became aware that we were at risk of completely damaging the tub, but Ness didn't seem to care.

"It's ok… don't… don't stop." – She pulled me by my hair and wrapped her legs tighter around waist. – "Keep going… harder… please…" – I couldn't see how I could get any harder, although I knew that's not what she _actually_ meant.

"Ness… I… I'll break the… break the Jacuzzi." – I could barely speak, my voice coming out in pants, especially when she began to move her pelvis back and forth with more force. And then I didn't care, not at all, not when my wife and the reason of my existence was begging me to deepen the connection, to go further than we'd gone before. The experience was so Earth shattering that I couldn't hold back any longer, so I let go of my inhibitions and let loose, knowing I couldn't possibly hurt her.

Our faces were barely an inch apart, both looking at the other and not breaking the adoring gaze. Her eyes were so fiery and intense that I wondered how I, Jacob Black, could possibly do that to her, knowing I wasn't nearly enough of what she deserved.

"God Ness… you… you feel so good… so damn good…"

"Jake… I love you… so much…"

The Jacuzzi wall was breaking now, completely caving in so that the Jacuzzi water was spilling out into the pool and to the surrounding area, but I was beyond caring. I continued to move against her, my rhythm increasing as my entire body caught on fire, with our bodies so close and connected that nothing else seemed to matter. It was amazing to feel her from the inside; I could stay there forever, just savoring how our bodies seemed to fit perfectly, like she was made for me and I for her. My body was receiving such an overload of emotions that her loud moans sounded like miles away, even though I could feel her lips pressed to mine.

And then, like a rush of high voltage energy, we both came. Ness relaxed her body and lay back on the broken Jacuzzi edge as I collapsed on top of her, resting my forehead on her shoulder. Both our bodies where breathing in and out in the same frantic rhythm, until slowly I began to calm down and breath in a more normal way.

After a few minutes, I looked up when I noticed she was still panting and realized we'd completely ruined the Jacuzzi, and worst of all, it had been Ness the one that had been shoved against the wall with enough force to do so.

"Are you ok baby?" – I felt like a scum bag. Why did I have to get so carried away and make love to her in such a way? I leaned back so that I could get a good look at her and prayed that I hadn't hurt her in any way, otherwise I'd have to kill myself.

"Give… give me a sec." – She wouldn't stop panting and the more she stayed like that the more horrible I felt.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." – I moved away from her, feeling a painful pressure on my chest. She opened her eyes and looked up at me, confused.

"What? Why… why would you say that? What's wrong Jake?" – She sat up and her face turned from confused to worried upon seeing my expression.

"Did I hurt you?" – I felt like crying, my mind coming up with all sorts of sleazy names for what I was; pervert, dog, lustful son of a bitch.

"Hurt me? Jake…" – I moved farther away from her but that only prompted for her to lean closer to me, holding my face in her hands and reading me with her eyes. I felt so ashamed that I could barely look at her.

"Baby… what's wrong? I don't understand… you didn't hurt me."

"I shouldn't have done that… I shouldn't have gotten carried away… I'm sorry, I mean, look at the Jacuzzi."

Ness took her eyes off me to survey the damage but quickly turned back, I was surprised to see that there was not a shred of judgment on her face, just love. She smiled and softly kissed me, keeping her face so close to mine that I could feel her sweet breath, still coming out in hard gasps.

"Baby… you know how strong we are… this happened _because_ we're strong; I mean, I could open a whole in these concrete walls with my bare fist." – She shook her head at me, as if I were somehow being unreasonable. - "Why are you acting like this? What do you think… please tell me?"

"I think… I think I'm a horrible husband… this… this isn't the way to make love; it should be soft and gentle and not… I don't know… lust driven. I got carried away, wanting to feel more, but it shouldn't be about that… I… I don't know…"

"Jake… I thought we were through this a long time ago… how long are you going to feel guilty for these things. We're married, it's alright to want each other and to make love however we want… please don't do this to me, not again."

"So I didn't hurt you?" – She suppressed a laugh.

"Are you kidding me? Baby, you have no idea how amazing that was… I mean, you… you made me feel so good." – She blushed slightly but kept talking, trying to convince me and succeeding. "I wanted that, wanted you to make love to me like that… this (she signaled to the destroyed Jacuzzi) is just collateral damage… if we were normal humans this would not have happened, ok?"

"I don't know Ness, are you sure? Because I don't want to turn into some pervert humping your bones any chance he gets… it should be about love, not lust."

"Jake, we love each other, so it _is_… besides, I want you… want you badly, do you think _I'm_ a pervert?" – Now I was the one suppressing a laugh, because I could never consider Ness that, not when I know she's the most wonderful person on Earth.

"Of course not."

"So if you don't think that about me… why would you think that about yourself?" – She was so right I suddenly felt like a fool. She smiled when she noticed she'd gotten to me.

"You're such a silly boy."

"Sorry… I just freaked when I saw the Jacuzzi." – Nessie was laughing now, noticing how almost all the water was gone and how the earth behind the cracked wall had moved to the point it had formed a small mountain.

"You think the villa will still be standing after this week?" – She kept giggling, running her hands through my wet hair and beaming at me.

"Not if we keep this up."

"Well, let's just hope Aunt Alice really _did_ think of everything and paid for some insurance."

"Knowing her, I'm sure she did." – We both laughed; the simple action relaxing me.

"Promise me one thing, ok Jake?"

"Sure."

"Next time you… um… how did you put it?... _rock my world_, please don't spoil it by feeling guilty when you're done... it's not fun." – I felt my lips tug at the corners and I couldn't suppress a huge smile. Ness smiled back at me, making my entire world shine. I kissed her, thanking my lucky stars for a girl like this, for a _wife_ like this.

"So, do you want to destroy anything else?" – She laughed and got up, the simple sight of her nakedness from the waist down making me want her all over again and hope she'd take my proposal seriously and not think it was a joke.

"Don't push your luck buddy."

There was suddenly a loud honk and we both turned to watch as a yacht made its way toward the dock.

"What?! What time is it?!" – Ness picked up her bikini bottom and quickly tied it back on, as I scrambled to find my board shorts, which were floating in the pool. I jumped in to get them as Nessie went to dry off with her towel. – "How… how long did we go for anyway?"

I wondered the same thing, because the last time I checked, it was 3 o'clock and now apparently it was 4 already. Had we actually made love for a whole hour? Minus foreplay, it was still a pretty damn long time. I smiled almost to myself and saw Ness roll her eyes at me when she caught me doing it, probably guessing what I was thinking.

"Don't get cocky, puppy."

She laughed and threw me a towel as I was getting out of the water. There was another honk and we realized the yacht was already attached to the dock and a man and a woman in white clothing were waiting for us up front.

Ness reached for my hand and playfully ruffled my wet hair with the other. We took some stone stairs and reached the dock.

"Hi, are you the newlyweds? We're not interrupting anything are we?" – Ness glanced from the corner of her eye at me and smiled embarrassed.

"Dad! You're embarrassing them! I'm so sorry for my father, he doesn't know any better, my name is Alexis and this is my father, Khristos. We're here to take you on your yacht trip."

"Hi, I'm Jacob and this is Nessie, nice to meet you."

"So, is this your second day here?" - Khristos was a very funny looking man, with tanned skin and a comb over, his eyes were green but barely visible under all the wrinkles around them. His voice was raspy, like maybe he smoked. His daughter on the other hand had a very high pitched voice, and even though she was also tanned and had dark curly hair, they looked nothing alike, besides the fact that they wore the same uniform.

"Yes."

"Oh – ho… so I'm guessing a yacht trip is the last thing you want to do right now." - Khristos let out a hoarse coughing laugh while his daughter elbowed him in the ribs.

"Again, I'm so sorry."

"It's fine." – I was actually somewhat enjoying his sense of humor, especially since he was making Ness blush, something that always lifts my spirits.

"So, are you ready to go?" – We nodded so they led us on board. The yacht was amazing, like the kind you see on TV. It had to be at least 60 feet long.

"Is this yours?" – Ness was looking around like a little kid.

"Yes, but since this place is such a touristic attraction, we figured we might as well turn it into a business. We sometimes rent it out or throw parties here or take people on trips; we've even had the privilege of taking some celebrities with us."

Khristos had already climbed inside the captain's control room and gotten the engine started.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave the two of you alone… there are some hors d'oeuvres and champagne over there in the back of the yacht, as well as a seating area with comfy cushions and a tanning deck; we'll be making our way to the south and stopping near the beach of the Naxos island, so you can swim a bit if you like. Downstairs are the facilities if you should require them."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome… enjoy." – She turned around and went inside the control room as well. Ness turned to me with excited eyes and took my hand, running to the back of the ship. It was incredible; a huge open space with wood floors surrounded with a white rail and the most amazing scenery. There was a circular seating area next to a bar; the seats were almost on the floor, looking more like cushions than an actual sofa. At the center was a glass table with a tray full of tiny snacks as well as a bucket filled with ice and a champagne bottle inside. Over on the far corner were these tanning tables overlooking the edge of the yacht.

"Shall we?" – Ness smiled and led me toward the cushions, pulling me down so that we were sitting, almost laying, on them.

"These look good; I wish I liked human food." – Ness pouted and offered me the tray. I took a few and ate, although I wasn't really hungry.

"Do you want some champagne?" – Ness smiled and nodded, so I unwrapped the top and pushed the cork with my finger until it popped out like a bullet, splashing champagne everywhere. Ness laughed as she placed the two glasses underneath.

"A toast, to the best honeymoon ever!" – She laughed as we smacked our glasses together and drank the champagne.

"Personally I prefer blood, but this is actually good." – I laughed and pulled her closer to me.

"You know I love you right?"

"Yes, I do."

We snuggled on the cushions as the yacht got farther and farther away from the villa and the beach, to the point where all you could see was water.

"I could stay here forever." – Ness' voice sounded dreamy and relaxed, as she snuggled into my neck and entwined her legs with mine.

"Are you sleepy?"

"Mmm… yes."

"Then sleep… I'll wake you up when we stop to swim."

"You sure Jake… I… I want to spend time with you." – She was already dozing off so I leaned back further, getting her in a more horizontal position. She scooted closer and I heard as her breathing became deeper and deeper, until her body relaxed completely and she fell asleep.

The sound of the ocean and the warmth of the sun, combined with the feeling of Nessie sleeping in my arms, was enough to make me drowsy. So I snuggled closer to Ness and closed my eyes, but not before taking her hand and pressing it to my face, hoping to catch a glimpse of what she was dreaming.

I saw sparkling water and swaying palm trees and began to doze off myself. Then there was a wave hitting a soft white beach and a figure in the distance. I was beginning to lose consciousness, but kept seeing Ness' dream. The figure came closer and closer and I could barely make it out because of my own falling out. And then, as I was just on the edge of falling completely asleep, I saw it… the figure in Ness' dream was me, smiling.

**Just for the record, even if I don't respond to each of your reviews, I do read then and they make me tremendously happy. You have no idea what it means to me to know that someone is out there reading my stuff. It truly inspires me to keep writing and I take each one into account to better my story, so thanks. **

**What I'm trying to say is… review!!!!!**


	29. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters; just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Ok, so the fluff and lovey dovey stuff continues. I hope you don't get bored, bare with me and I promise we'll continue with the action soon; I just think it's proper for Ness and Jacob to get a good honeymoon, they deserve it!**

**Chapter 28**

**Jacob's POV**

"So, you think Pixie set up something embarrassing?" – I was looking out the taxi window, noticing how we were entering through a gate that lead to what seemed like some kind of resort. I really wasn't in any hurry to get a facial or some kind of freaky mask on me or any shit like that, but was willing to go along with the whole thing because Ness seemed excited about it.

"Embarrassing how?"

"I don't know, like them trying to put on some green sludge on my face."

Ness laughed out loud and entwined her fingers with mine.

"Don't worry, I won't let them and I doubt Aunt Alice would be so uncharacteristically cruel." - She continued to giggle at my apprehensive face.

We arrived at the entrance and were escorted in, into a lavish waiting room. A woman wearing white scrubs that had the spa's logo embroidered on the side came in to greet us.

"Hello, you must be my dear friend Alice's niece… Renesmee?"

"Yes, nice to meet you. You know my aunt?"

"Yes, I'm sorry… I didn't introduce myself, my name is Carina Christopoulos and this is my spa. I met your aunt twenty three years ago, we were adolescents back then and became extremely close. How is she?"

"Oh, she's great. How did you meet?"- Nessie's eyes where wide with curiosity, especially since no one in the family talks very much about all the things they've done or the places they've lived in the past, given that there's too much to tell.

"My parent's sent me to America to study and that's where we meet, in New York, she was studying fashion design and I was studying to be a chef. We hit it off right away and kept in touch even after we both parted ways. I used to have the biggest crush on your father by the way, but he didn't seem interested in women back then. How is he?"

It was strange to have this middle aged woman remembering the adolescent crush she used to have on Edward, considering he's still the "adolescent" she used to know. I turned and saw how Nessie's face dramatically changed, from curiosity to something I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"Mmm… he's fine."

"Oh, how I wish I could see them, I can't imagine how much they've changed! You know, your aunt and I used to turn heads, well mostly your aunt. Ah, the glory days! Now in days we mostly complain to each other about back pains and the beginning of gray hairs." – Carina kept laughing and Nessie's face kept growing more and more bothered, so I knew I needed to put a stop to it.

"Um, so what are we getting done?"

Ness took a step toward me as soon as I said this, took hold of my hand and almost hid behind me, the way a shy kid hides behind his mother, as if my body would protect her from something.

"Oh, well Alice told me to give you the royal treatment, so you'll be getting our famous Blue Massage which is a full body relaxing massage that lasts an hour, afterwards Renesmee will get a facial while you can lounge by the pool and enjoy some of our most delicious treats, next Renesmee will join you by the pool where you'll both receive a reflex massage which is essentially a feet massage and finally the two of you may enjoy the sauna and pool."

"Ok great, so can we get going then?" – I was more than a little anxious to get out of the room and away from Carina; she was really a nice woman, with a gentle smile and peaceful glance, but for some reason she was freaking Ness out, so I couldn't have that.

"Yes, of course… come with me."

We walked through the hallway and she guided us to a small room that had a closet full of white bathrobes, towels and slippers.

"You may change in here and in a few minutes one of my assistants will come to get you and get you started with your treatment. I'll probably see you afterwards, it was so good to meet you Renesmee, brought me memories of my youth." – Carina gave Ness a radiant smile which she did not reciprocate, giving her more like an obliged half smirk. When she finally closed the door and left us alone, Ness turned to me.

"Will that happen to me and Amanda? Will that happen to me and every other human I come in contact with?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"Well you heard her! They used to be friends and then my family probably had to move and it was over. She thinks Alice is just a middle aged woman like her! Don't you think it's horrible! That's probably why my aunts and uncles never make human friends, why mom says they were considered snobs and kept to themselves in high school!"

"Baby, please calm down… you're overreacting."

"Overreacting? No I'm not! You're fine with it because everyone you know and love knows about you… your best friends are just like you and will never age, you'll get to keep them forever. I don't have that, I'm stuck, not full vampire but not human either."

"Well thank god cuz if you were full vampire I'd have to get used to the stink all the time." – I was trying to lighten up the mood, make a joke to get her back to her peppy happy self, but it backfired.

"I'm serious Jake… can't you take things seriously for one minute?"

"Ok, I'm sorry, but there's really nothing I can do about that and besides, I'm glad… I'm glad we're freaks, I'm glad we get to live forever together. For some reason, fate decided that we needed to be this and even though it's hard, if I weren't a wolf and you weren't the daughter of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, we would not have met and that _truly_ would be horrible, ok?"

That seemed to relax her a bit, even though I could tell she was still upset.

"Listen to me ok? You heard what Carina said, that they still keep in touch; it wasn't over, they're still friends, I mean, sure Pixie has to lie and sure they can't actually meet in person, but she's still in her life. We get what we can baby… so would you just calm down for a second and not freak out on me?"

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking up at me with her big beautiful brown eyes and killing me. If I could take away her regrets, her apprehensions about our kind of life, I would in an instant, but I couldn't, because we are who we are.

"Ok, I'm sorry… I just freaked, especially when she started reminiscing about having a crush on dad."

"Yeah, I know… nasty… here I thought she looked like a sensible person, but having the hots for Edward is just bad taste and… wrong." – I made disgusted face and this time my humor _did _work, causing Ness to smile and roll her eyes at me.

"You're just still pissed that mom chose _him_ over you."

I had to blink twice, was Ness actually making jokes about me and Bella? Had we already gotten to the point where we could make fun of that craziness? I wasn't sure so I didn't push my luck with continuing the joke.

"Trust me; she did me a favor… that and not using birth control on her honeymoon."

"Ew! Jake!" – She pushed me and giggled, shaking her head at me. – "You're so gross!"

We were both laughing when a knock on the door silenced us.

"Are you ready?" – A woman's voice called out. We were anything but ready, both still fully dressed.

"Um, can you give us a couple of minutes?" – Ness was trying to suppress a giggle.

"Of course, come out when you're ready."

"Come on, let's hurry… otherwise they'll think we're fooling around or something." – She was already searching for a robe her size.

"Mmmm… that's not a bad idea." – I wiggled my eyebrows as Ness rolled her eyes at me and threw an extra large robe in my face.

"Ness… I'm big, _not_ fat."

She laughed out loud and began to take her clothes off.

"Just put it on!"

When we were done putting on the robes and slippers, we stepped outside where an assistant led us to the massage area. It looked like a tent, overlooking the ocean with all of its sides opened so the sea breeze could come in. In it were two massaging tables as well as roses sprinkled everywhere and scented candles. Two women were waiting and instructed us to take our robes off and leave just the towels on.

We lay side by side, facing downward as they began the massage. I was actually surprised at how good it felt, especially when they applied hot scented oil on our backs. I got a big lady working on me, so she was strong enough to give my muscles a good and thorough rub. I turned my head to the side so I could see Ness, finding she was doing the same.

"Ooh, you've got a big boy here haven't you?! I haven't come across muscles like this in years!" – The woman had a strong Greek accent and seemed like somebody's grandmother or something, with a big nose, short but big curly hair and like I said, heavy. I saw Ness trying to suppress a giggle at the lady's words.

"Oh my, and what does a little thing like you do with such a big boy like him? I bet he takes the energy out of you in an instant." – This lady was being _really_ invasive, but instead of getting embarrassed or even angry, Ness kept on giggling.

"He's not so much trouble." – She managed to blurt out.

"Oh, don't lie little girl… this big boy seems like a whole lot of trouble, am I right Fortoula?" – She turned to the other masseuse working on Ness. The other one was thin, small and young, maybe mid twenties. She looked uncomfortable by the grandmother masseuse's words.

"Mrs. Cora, you are embarrassing them."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… I talk too much; my husband always tells me I just can't keep my thoughts to myself, and well, it's been a while since I've seen such a strapping young lad!"

Ness was on the brink of tears at this point, pressing her face against the pillow to try and stop the laughter that I could see was bubbling in her.

"I'm very sorry, what's your name dear boy?"

I was having a hard time keeping a straight face myself, because this woman was crazy funny.

"Um, Jacob."

"Oh, well Jacob, I'll stop talking now and stick to what I know… any tension I need to know about, any areas you'd like me to work on?"

"Just do the usual and if you miss anything I'll take care of it later." – Ness gave me seductive smile and there was no hiding the sexual innuendo in her tone. Cora, the masseuse, let out a roar of laughter.

"Oho! I guess I was wrong! _You're_ the one who's trouble little lady, although I don't blame you! How many hours do you spend in the gym Jacob?"

I caught the other masseuse, Fortoula, giving Cora a warning look.

"Alright, I'll shut up now… let's put on some relaxing music instead of my blabbering, shall we?" – Cora turned around and pressed "play" on a stereo system, which started playing this really soothing tropical background music. She didn't speak for the rest of the massage, letting both me and Ness relax into it.

After rubbing us both in the back and front, they turned us over again and placed hot black rocks on our backs, in line with our spine. The sensation of the smoldering rocks was extremely relaxing and soothing, especially since Cora kept massaging my arms and hands as the rocks produced their effect. I heard Ness softly moan at the feeling of Fortoula massaging her legs and felt completely jealous that it wasn't _me_ who was giving her that pleasure; but getting completely aroused at the sound. However, because I wasn't about to let this Cora woman see my arousal, since god knows _what_ she'd say if she did, I breathed in and tried to think of the least sexy thing I could. Edward's face came into my mind and that was enough to turn me off almost immediately; even in my imagination he was still the scariest guy ever.

"What are you thinking about?" – Ness was looking at the concentration on my face, her voice breaking it as I turned toward her.

"Edward."

"Oh-kay… that's a weird thing to be thinking about while getting a massage."

"He just popped in there… damn leech."

Ness gave me a warning look and shushed me, looking over to the masseuses to make sure they hadn't overheard, not that they would understand even if they had.

After several minutes they removed the hot stones and applied this blue sticky stuff all over our bodies with a brush.

"Excuse me, what's this?"

"This is why this massage is called the Blue Massage, it's blue algae found in the Aegean Sea and it does wonders for the skin. We'll put it on and leave it for a few minutes." – Fortoula answered Nessie. After they were done covering us with the blue stuff, they left us alone.

"Sorry about this… at least it isn't green." – Ness laughed, looking so much like a sexy smurf that I couldn't really blame her for this; at least we were alone and no one I knew would see me this way.

"It's ok… how do I look?"

"Sexy as hell." – She laughed again. – "What about me?"

"Mmm… I was thinking sexy smurf."

"That works."

"So… what do you say we skip the rest and just head back to the villa?" – I was truly beyond caring anymore. She smiled at me and blushed slightly, something I could make out even through the blue stuff covering her.

"We'll have time for that later, but I really don't want to pass this up… I mean, didn't you just love the massage? I know I did."

"Well yeah, it was really good… but…"

"You know, craving for it for longer will only make it better."

"That's not true, where did you get that?" – For some reason Ness blushed when I said this and bit her lip before answering me.

"Aunt Rose."

"What?! Blondie?! You got sex advice from Blondie? Do you know how creepy that is?"

"Well I'm sorry, but I wasn't about to ask mom because that would definitely be too weird and Aunt Alice was out of the question because she'd probably give me dozens of books on the matter not to mention sign me up for a course or something."

"But Blondie? You know she hates me and uses every change she gets to make my life a living hell! She probably told you that just to torture me!"

"No! She wouldn't do that… she says she does that with Uncle Em, makes him wait, and that it's better that way."

I couldn't take hearing this anymore. It was beyond horrible to have Ness talk to me about Emmett and Blondie's sex life, so I abruptly got up from the table.

"I can't listen to that Ness. Doesn't it freak you out?"

"A little… well, actually a lot, but not anymore, not after what we've been up to."

"Baby, no matter what we do, hearing about your aunt and uncle's sex life _is not_ alright."

"What are you getting so worked up about? It's not like she went into details, just a few tips here and there, nothing overly gross."

"Yeah well, I don't want to know about it."

"Ok, I'm not bringing it up anymore… but we're not getting out of here early."

"Come on Ness." – I walked closer to her as she continued to lie on the massage table. – "Are you honestly going to tell me that getting a facial _that you don't need_ sounds better than heading back to the villa with me?"

I was trying to be as seductive as I could, leaning on top of her as she smiled up at me and ran her hand through my hair, clearing a strand from my forehead.

"So?" – I pressed.

"You're right, I don't need the facial or the sauna, but I don't want to spend my _entire _honeymoon inside the villa, no matter how much I want to be with you."

"You sure?" – I leaned in as she pulled my hair and parted her lips to kiss me. I was just beginning to trace her mouth with my tongue when she pulled back.

"Later."

"I'm killing Blondie when I get back."

She laughed and sat up on the table, just as Fortoula came back inside the tent.

"The time is up. Please come with me and I'll show you to the showers where you can take the algae off."

Bathing in the shower next to Nessie was painful; knowing she was right there next to me, naked and beautiful, but knowing I couldn't risk getting caught sneaking into hers. She was softly humming as she cleaned the blue stuff off her skin and all I could do was press my face to the tiled wall that separated us, whishing I could just reach over and touch her, even if for a brief moment.

She abruptly stopped humming and before I knew it, she unexpectedly opened the glass door to my shower and jumped in, shutting it behind her. She was naked and smiling at my surprised face.

"It's later." – Her voice was so low and alluring that I suddenly felt like a fumbling fool before her glorious figure.

She stepped closer and put her hands on my chest, caressing me as she cleared it of the blue algae.

"I… I thought you might need some help in here." – I could tell my sudden paralysis was making her second guess her impulse.

"I do."

She looked up at me and gave me a big brilliant smile. I wrapped my arms around her and ran my hands down her back, helping cleanse her off. She did the same, running her hands down my back and arms.

"You're so beautiful Ness." – I whispered, knowing I didn't want anyone to catch us.

"Is that your horniness talking?"

"No, you're the most beautiful thing on this Earth… horny or not."

She smiled and bit her lip, looking up at me through her long lashes.

"We need to get this stuff off you, turn around so I can properly wash your back."

"That's not what I want Ness."

"I know, but I just heard Cora say she'd come to get us in two minutes, so there's no time."

Again, whenever I was this close to Ness, my senses seemed to go out of wack, blocking out everything around me and focusing solely on her. Cora could have screamed it out and I would still not have heard her.

"I… I can be quick." – I knew I was pushing my luck now, but I mostly said it to see her reaction and tease her a little bit. She giggled and continued to run the sponge over me.

"Well… that's not what _I_ want."

This time I _did_ hear Cora's footsteps getting closer and so did Ness, who took hold of my face and kissed me before turning around and stepping out of my shower and back into hers. A second later Cora knocked on both our shower doors.

"Mr. Jacob, Miss Renesmee? Are you ready?"

"I'll be right out."

"Me too."

**Nessie's POV**

I was tired, really tired. The massage had relaxed us so much that we'd slept almost the entire afternoon once we'd gotten back to the villa, so after we'd woken up to go have dinner at the famous restaurant Alice had reserved (she was able to arrange for a private balcony and a container full of mountain lion blood for me, with none of the restaurant employees knowing its contents), headed back home and decided to go to bed, we had been anything but sleepy. So what do a couple of newlyweds do when it's dark and late but neither one of them feels like sleeping?

Now here I was, waking up from about only four hours of sleep and lots and _lots_ of fooling around. I don't think I'd been this exhausted in my entire life, except for the time after we'd faced the werewolves and Jacob had come home with the horrible news of Sam's death. But that was an entirely different kind of tired, one mixed with desperation and anguish, while _this_ kind of tired… wonderful. Jacob, conveniently enough, had decided to let go of his reservations and had given in to his desires, which for me meant a really horny wolf in my hands.

I turned on my side to look at the clock on the night table, which read 7 am. I tried to remember the time specified in Alice's schedule at which Costa would come to pick us up, but my brain was too distracted from all the memories of the previous night to be able to recall what the piece of paper said. I felt Jacob move next to me and groan, pulling me back to his side. I turned so that I could look at him and was surprised to find that he looked as exhausted as I felt, which was interesting considering _he_ was the one that had kept me awake all night.

"Jake… I think Costa will be here soon…" – I whispered, feeling somewhat guilty for waking him up.

"Mmm… just a little longer."

I smiled almost to myself, because Jake sounded like a little kid not wanting to get up to go to school.

"Just go back to sleep baby… who cares."- His voice came out muffled because of the pillow and although all I wanted to do was just that, go back to sleep, it felt wrong to not be ready when Costa came, especially since today was the day in our schedule I was most looking forward to.

"He'll be here any minute."

Jacob opened his eyes to look at me, giving me Goosebumps from the mere eye contact, more or less an effect caused because of the night we'd just had. He closed his eyes again, took in a deep breath and got out of the covers, moving toward where his pants lay on the floor and pulling from the pocket a business card.

"I'll just call him and tell him to come get us a bit later."

"Are you sure?" – I was at a conflict, on one hand I wanted to get to the Zakynthos Island early and take advantage of the day, but on the other I was dead tired and needed some hard earned sleep.

"Baby… I'm about to pass out… I'm so tired."

"Ok, you're right… call him."

Jake dialed and spoke to Costa, asking if he could come in three hours.

"_You just caught me… I was just about to take off right now… that's no problem, I'll be there later on."_

"Ok, thank you Costa… we'll see ya."

He hung up the phone and practically collapsed back to the bed, taking his original position next to me and putting his arm around my waist. Pretty soon we were both sound asleep and all I could see in my dreams was Jake's beautiful body entangled with mine, so it was safe to say that waking up in a few hours would be tough.

"Baby? It's time to get up."

I opened my eyes to find that Jake didn't look tired anymore, which was sort of annoying considering I still did. He was standing next to my side of the bed, wearing his boxers.

"Were you able to get some rest?" – He looked concerned, scrutinizing my face with his eyes.

"Yeah, but I'm still tired… it's your fault for keeping me up so late." – I managed to smile through my drowsiness, so that Jake would know I was joking.

"Excuse me little missy, but who was the one who started in the first place?"

"All I said was that I wasn't sleepy!" – I defended.

"While you were already naked in bed!"

"Yeah, well… that was the first time… what about all the others?"

Jacob blushed and bit his lip, breaking eye contact and smiling sheepishly.

"I guess I just can't get enough."- His voice was deep and sincere, with just a touch of playfulness.

I felt my body grow hot from his words, but repressed the feeling because I knew I needed to get up and get ready. So I sat on the bed and faced him.

"What am I going to do with you?" – I said, while smiling and shaking my head.

"I don't know… what I _do_ know is, we'll be getting very little sleep from now on." – A huge grin emerged on his face, making me laugh.

"Ok silly boy… but for now, I'm taking a shower." – I got up and walked toward the bathroom, hearing his footsteps behind me.

"Room for one more?"

"Nope."

"Aw, come on Ness!"

"No Jake, we need to get ready."

"Totally innocent, I promise!"

"That's what you say now… but then before you know it we'll be breaking the shower again."

"No, I promise! Just please, it feels so good to shower together."

Even though I yearned for his touch, for his rough hands to lather me up and massage my back with the sponge and for his warm bare skin to grace mine, I knew that if I let him shower with me we'd never make it out. So I swallowed all my burning desires and closed the door behind me.

"You're evil!" – He called out from the other side, sounding more than a little amused.

After we'd both taken turns in the shower and gotten dressed, we headed downstairs for breakfast. Usually I don't need to drink blood every day, but thanks to our nighttime activities, I was so drained out that I gulped down a huge cup of it, as Jacob helped himself to some cereal and milk. I glanced down at my watch as I heard a helicopter in the distance, 10 am sharp.

A few minutes later, Costa's helicopter was stationed in the villa's heliport.

"Good to see you again. Are you ready? Let's go."

We climbed on the helicopter and began the trip toward the island of Zakynthos. It took about half an hour to get there, so Jake and I slept on the way, hoping to recover some of our energy for the day.

I opened my eyes when I heard the loud crack of the chopper door being opened. Jake groaned and half opened his eyes, groggily looking around, causing Costa to let out a laugh.

"We were given permission to land in this private heliport so that you wouldn't waist time at the airport. There's a driver here that will take you where you need to go."

"Thank you so much Costa."

"No problem. I'll be here when you get back, enjoy the day!"

We got down and found a taxi waiting for us. We drove on the coastline and were flabbergasted by the beauty of the island, both of us leaning on the same window and staring out with our mouths hanging opened.

The Ionian Sea had the most amazing shade of blue I'd ever seen, contrasting beautifully with the white sand and green vegetation that seemed to cover almost the entire surface. It was true what Alice's pamphlet said, about this island being the most "untouched" of them all, because it seemed like civilization had not made it here, like we were the first human beings to ever visit.

The taxi began to descend on the road until we were at sea level and approaching the shore. Once we got there we realized there was a small sailboat waiting for us. Although we were dying to know where we were going, we knew better than to ask any of these guys, knowing Alice had probably instructed they keep us in the dark. So we just went along, still starry eyed over the amazing natural beauty of the place.

Once we began our boat ride, we got a chance to really take in the surroundings, noticing how the water was surrounded by the greenest mountains. We bordered one of these magnificent mountains and came along the other side only to find what seemed like a "secret" bay. The closer we got to the shore the more enclosed the bay seemed, like nature's way of providing an intimate swimming pool.

"This here is Shipwreck Bay!"

The sailor's voice startled both Jake and I, considering we were so entranced with the view that we had basically forgotten we weren't alone.

"Shipwreck? Why "Shipwreck"?" – It sounded like something out of Pirate's of the Caribbean, which really got me excited. I caught Jake giving me teasing smile upon seeing my eagerness over the bay's name.

"Because there is a wrecked ship in its beach. The ship is called the Panagiotis and is believed to have been a smugglers ship. There are all sorts of tales of how it came to be shipwrecked, but all I know is, the crew abandoned it and it still rests buried in the sand. I'll tell you, it's quite a sight."

"Do a lot of people come here?" – Jake was looking around and I couldn't tell if he was either spooked by the apparent isolation of the cove or simply wondering if we'd get a chance to be all alone.

"Oh yes, this is the most popular beach in all Zakynthos, some even say it's the most beautiful beach in the world, although I've never left Greece so I couldn't confirm that. But today… oh, today you are lucky, because there is a huge celebration going on in the center of the village, so all the locals and tourists are there."

"Lucky us." – Jake wiggled his eyebrows at me and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. You'd think an entire night of uninterrupted sex would satisfy him, but no, he's still able to want more.

All alone wasn't exactly what we were when we got to the beach, more like "not crowded". There were about five families with their children playing on the sand, three other couples that by their heart rate and increased pulse I'd say were on their honeymoon as well and two large groups of friends in their early twenties, in addition to the occasional lone person walking around. Alice had left a cooler filled with snacks, drinks and lunch for us with the boat sailor, so he handed it to us once he left us ashore, along with instructions that he'd pick us up at two a clock in the afternoon.

"I know you're dying to check out the shipwreck." – Jake gave me a knowing smile, recognizing the little girl in me.

"You bet!"

The boat guy wasn't lying; the shipwreck was truly quite a sight. Even though it looked ancient, it had somehow preserved its original form, making it look like something out of a fairytale. The metal all around it was rusty and in some instances bent, but we could still make out the blue color it was once painted with and the name on one of its sides, Panagiotis. I wanted to climb on and really have a good look, but there was a sign that discouraged from doing so.

"This is awesome… it's so cool it almost feels fake." – Jake was looking into the ships cabin as I walked around it so I could take a look at the other side.

"Like someone put it here on purpose." – I absentmindedly added, just as Jacob began to walk over to me.

"I wouldn't mind getting shipwrecked here with you, you know?"

"I'm pretty sure my entire family would come get us."

"That's highly unlikely, especially since the point of getting shipwrecked is that you're lost on a _deserted_ island and since Pixie can't _see_ us, well…"

"There aren't any more _deserted_ islands, everything has been discovered already."

"I'm sure we could find one." – Jacob smiled and pulled me in for a hug. I could feel his heart beating through his shirt and was surprised to find that even after everything we'd been doing, I could still make it beat faster with just one hug.

"I still can't believe we're married." – He spoke into my hair.

"I know, feels like a dream."

"Let's not wake up ok? Ever."

"Deal."

He let go of me and playfully shook my hand, as if cementing the "deal" to not wake up. I laughed but played along.

"Remember we shook on it." – He jokingly warned. As if would ever _ever_ want to go back on _that_ deal.

After we were done admiring the shipwreck, we decided to just chill and take in the beautiful surroundings. We sat down on the sand and stretched our legs in front of us, letting the incoming soft waves soak our feet with warm water. I pressed the soles of my feet into the wet sand and realized life couldn't get more delicious than this.

"It's going to be hard going back to Forks after this." – For some reason the idea of heading back home was scary, like something bad would be waiting for us, although I knew it was really about letting go of this paradise.

"I know; it's so rainy and cloudy and cold. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love First Beach, but this… this is something else."

"How do you think everyone is doing back home?"

"The same as always, I know it seems like years but we've only been gone a few days Ness." – Jacob laughed, keeping his gaze far away on the horizon.

"Do you think Leah and Embry have come clean already?"

Jacob let out another laugh.

"What made you think about _them_? God, I had completely forgotten! Probably not, even though Leah acts like a bad ass and Embry is all cool and collected, deep down inside they're both a couple of wimps, they'll be waiting for me to come back and tell everyone on behalf of them and help take the heat, if there's any."

"I don't see why there would be, it's something good right?"

"Yeah well, I'm sure the guys will take advantage of the situation to make fun of and torture them… I mean, can you imagine when we run patrols together? Having to listen to them think about each other and god knows what other stuff… it's kind of awkward. I wouldn't be surprised if more than a few of the wolves have a problem with two imprints in the pack, cuz it can constitute a big distraction."

"Well, there's nothing you can do about that right?"

"No, we'll just have to bear it all… I just hope they don't have sex, because I don't think I'd be able to handle that." – He mock shuddered and made a disgusted face.

"Jake… you… you won't think about… about all this, will you?" – I suddenly became very aware of our similar predicament with the pack mind thing and got really stressed; sure Jacob had been able to keep our things private up until now, but that was before we actually went all the way. Would he actually be able to keep his mind shut once we got back?

Apparently my worried tone was hilarious, because Jake started balls out laughing.

"What's so funny?!"

"You are! You should have seen your face, so cute!"

"Shut up, I'm serious!"

"Come on Ness, of course I won't think about all this… I wouldn't be exactly thrilled with all of the guys seeing you naked or… you know." – He shrugged his shoulders and tried to hide his impish smile from me.

I blushed just at the thought of his pack members seeing me having sex with Jake, because god know what it actually looks like. Jacob got a huge goofy grin on his face upon my flushed reaction and began to laugh again.

"Swear to me Jacob."

He kept on laughing as I tried to keep a straight face, attempting to convey the seriousness of the matter.

"Jake!"

"Babe, you know I won't… besides, I don't mean to alarm you, but my pack is the least of our worries when we get back."

"What do you mean?"

"One word… Edward."

I covered my eyes with my hands at the disturbing realization.

"Oh no! Oh no! I… I can't… _you_ can't let dad see _anything_!" – I was in full freak out mode; my mind throwing out the most unpleasant scenarios. The last thing I wanted was my father being a spectator of porn staring his only daughter.

Uncharacteristically enough, Jacob wasn't half as disturbed as me. He kept laughing at my mortified face, pulling me closer and prying my hands from my face.

"Come on, if he sees anything… well… it serves him right for meddling into other people's thoughts. You know, it's actually poetic justice… maybe a little glimpse of the honeymoon will teach him to stop his snooping."

"What?! Are you crazy?! I don't want dad to see _anything_! This _is not_ something you can use to torture him, you hear me?"

"Ness, you know I won't… but it's going to be hard coexisting with him without something slipping out, especially with all the time we spend together."

"No! We can't let that happen!" – I got up in one jump and started walking back and forth in front of Jacob, who just looked up at me with a smile playing on his lips. He looked absolutely irresistible but I wasn't able to enjoy it due to the horror invading my brain.

"We'll just have to become Zen masters and block him out… or better yet, momma can shield us constantly, all the time! That works, right?"

"Yeah, that works."

"Am I overreacting?" – I suddenly felt self conscious about my freak out, especially since Jacob was just intently looking at me and not reacting at all, completely calm and unmoved except for the amusement visible on his face.

"Just a little, but I'm having too much fun watching you do it."

"So you're not concerned _at all_?"

Jake shrugged his shoulders and reached for my hand, pulling on it so I would sit back down.

"We'll deal with it when we get back, but right now, this very moment, I want to spend it with my wife… no leeches or pack or anything, ok?"

I felt Goosebumps as Jacob caressed my hand with his thumb as he held it; his eyes so intense and sincere that I knew he wasn't joking or being charming, that he meant every word. So I sat back down, almost hypnotized by his piercing stare. He smiled when I sat in front of him and pulled me closer, holding my face in both his hands as he sweetly kissed me.

I inhaled his alluring scent and felt foolish for wasting precious time panicking about home when the man I loved was sitting right next to me in this perfect beach.

"Did the kiss work or do I have to do more to calm you down?"

I giggled and pulled myself closer to him, just as a wave came in to soak our bottom halves.

"More is always better."

"Not with a beach full of people and children." – He was smiling so seductively that I nearly considered not caring about the families surrounding us. He let out a laugh when he saw me appraising just how many people were actually around.

"Cora was right, you _are_ trouble."

"What? Why?" – I faked innocence.

"You're actually looking around to see if anyone would notice if we fool around!"

He caught me right in the act, so all I could do was laugh and kiss him again.

"Come on, let's go for a swim." – He got up and pulled me with him. We took our clothes off leaving only the swimsuits we'd put on underneath and got into the warm water. We let our bodies float as the waves rocked us back and forth. This was definitely a dream I _would not_ be waking from.

**Thank you so much for your reviews! I have to give special thanks to Dingdogglewoo for your helpful tips. English isn't my first language, so any writing advice is much appreciated. You're absolutely right about my conversations sometimes being confusing; since this entire thing is in my head it's sometimes good to get an outsider's opinion, especially when I'm not getting my point across, so I'll definitely be working on that. **

**Thank you all for taking the time to review; even if I don't have a chance to thank you personally or respond to your comments, please know that I value each one and jump up and down like a little girl when I get an e-mail that reads "review alert". **


	30. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters; I'm just a fan having some fun. No copyright infringement intended. **

**Chapter 29**

**Nessie's POV**

"So where are we going now?"

After spending the morning just relaxing by the beach on Shipwreck Bay, we were now back on the sailboat and headed toward our next location. I remembered reading something about some caves and turtles in Aunt Alice's schedule but wasn't entirely sure.

"Now I'm taking you to the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, which is a protected area in Lagans Bay. It was established for the protection of certain sea life, specifically the Caretta-Caretta turtle, under danger of extinction."

"So, what are we doing there exactly?" – Jacob was lying back on the side of the boat, with me sitting on his lap.

"You'll get to actually meet the turtles, see where they live and get to know the area."

"Sounds awesome." – Sarcasm was palpable in every syllable of Jake's words.

I turned to give him a reproachful look, which somehow changed to a smile when I laid eyes on him.

"It's turtles Ness… turtles! I mean, they're not even fast like dolphins or cool like sharks."

"But they're cute!"

"Cute isn't exactly synonymous to exciting. I mean, a baby is cute but you don't see me rushing to spend an entire afternoon with one."

"Wait, you used to spend entire days with _me_?" – I immediately regretted having said this out loud, because the boat guy was steering the boat just a few feet away from us. I turned to look at him and saw he was not paying attention to our conversation, so I relaxed enough to continue.

"That was different and you know it." – Jake was whispering now, obviously also concerned with the guy catching on to our conversation. – "You were extremely interesting."

"Well, I'm sure the turtles will be too."

"Fine, I'm not complaining… as long as I get to be with you, my mouth is shut."

"Good boy."

Jake stuck his tongue out like a dog and began panting like one, leaning in closer and liking the side of my face playfully. I giggled but pushed him away.

"You're so gross! I have to teach my doggy some manners."

"As long as I get treats when I behave." – He wiggled his eyebrows and continued to act like a dog, tickling me by pressing his nose to my neck and pretending to smell me.

"What kind of treats?"

"You know what kind." – He whispered to my neck; the sensation of his warm breath and the slight grace of his lips making me shiver.

"Hmm… well, then you'll have to behave."

"I plan to."

We both laughed as the boat began to make its way toward a bay.

"Welcome to the National Marine Park of Zakynthos." – A beautiful Greek woman was waiting for us at the museum and offices situated high on the mountain, overlooking the bay. She had long flowing wavy brown hair and despite the fact that she was wearing a not so stylish gray uniform, she still seemed to me like a Greek goddess of some sort. I turned to see Jacob's reaction to her, since she was so breathtakingly beautiful, for a human; and was pleased to see nothing but indifference in his eyes.

We introduced ourselves and began to walk outside and down toward the bay.

"We can begin with a short tour of the protected area. Then we can head back to the museum where you can get a glimpse of all the flora and fauna we're protecting. And finally we have a special treat for you."

Jacob nudged me when the word "museum" came up.

"Um, I think we'll skip the museum, if you don't mind."

"Oh, of course."

Jacob smiled at me and kissed the top of my head before continuing the walk down.

We walked all around the area as she explained to us everything about the site; about how the park was established to protect the nesting beaches of the Caretta-Caretta, a turtle whose habitat is the Mediterranean Sea and lays her eggs during the summer on these very beaches. She explained that these turtles are in danger of extinction due to the growth in tourism to the island, telling us that even an airport was built near this beach of Laganas where many female turtles used to lay their eggs.

I was completely interested in the guide's story, which extended far beyond the turtles and into the other wildlife they protect as well as all the ecosystems that can be found in Zakynthos. Jacob on the other hand seemed bored; for someone who comes from a culture of respect and love of nature, for someone who basically prefers the forest to the city and for someone who, let's face it, turns into an "animal" every other day, he really wasn't enjoying this walk through nature.

"Are you bored?" – I whispered far too low for any human to hear.

"No."

"Jacob…"

"Ok, ok… I am, but I'm behaving so I can get my treat." – He gave me a teasing smile and I couldn't help but laugh out loud, causing the guide to turn around surprised, considering she hadn't said anything funny. Jake kept smiling in amusement as my face turned beet red from embarrassment.

"Well, that's all I can tell you about the work we do here… so, would you like to meet them?"

We made it all the way down to the beach and were led to an area that was surrounded by a fence. There was a man there taking notes and surveying the sand.

"This is one of the beaches where the turtles lay their eggs… my partner here is counting how many nests have already been created here."

"So, where are the turtles?"

"In there, in the water… I see you have your swimsuits on, why don't you get in and I'll introduce you properly."

I was so excited I stripped in a hurry and dove into the water, finding that Jacob dove just a few seconds behind me. The lady laughed at our urgency to get in and took a bucket full of fish and gave it to us, walking in to where the water reached her calves.

"Here you go, just offer it to them and they will come."

We swam deeper into the ocean and sure enough, a minute later, several huge turtles appeared. When I say they were huge, it's because they were enormous, about 2 meters long. Jake and I both got underwater so we could fully see them.

It was amazing to actually feed them and get a chance to caress them and have them swim around us. Jacob was smiling the entire time, playfully feeding them by tempting them with the fish before letting go and letting them have it.

We swam underwater for the longest time, coming up for air from time to time and then returning to the turtles. After some time the turtles began to retreat farther into the ocean and there were no more fish to lure them back, so we reluctantly resurfaced and came back to the beach.

"That was fun! I didn't think they'd be so big!" – Jacob was shaking his head like a puppy, spraying water all over me.

"Good, I'm glad you enjoyed that."

"When do they lay their eggs, can we see them do it?"

"They do it at night time, but I'm afraid we really don't encourage coming down to see them, because they can get scared by our presence and not do it properly. Now, for the egg hatching, that's a whole other story; we get a lot of volunteers who come and help the little ones make it to the ocean. You could take a trip back here, around October, and see it for yourselves."

"Yeah, we'll do that."

"We will?" – The prospect of coming back here was crazy good, and since Jacob seemed confident in his response, I had to make sure if he was serious. He turned and nodded, making my insides dance with happiness.

"Good, very good… then we will be expecting you. Well, I'm afraid I have some work to do, so you may take another look around if you like and when you're ready to leave, I'll get a taxi to take you to where you're going next. The man who brought you on the boat gave me instructions."

Aunt Alice had really gone all out, planning this thing with perfection and miles away. It was all so elaborate and mysterious, different people giving us clues to our next locations, that it almost seemed something out of a mystery novel.

We decided to go ahead and ask for the taxi right away, so after we got dried off our ride arrived. This time the trip took a little longer as we took a lonely road headed west, practically going through the entire Zakynthos Island. Jacob and I both slept in the car, still somewhat tired from our "extracurricular nighttime activities". Apparently we were headed toward the West Coast of the island, a far less transited and wilder area.

After an hour and a half drive and nap, we got to the dropping point. The sun was already coming down, making me wonder if we'd have time to head back to the villa considering we were mere hours away from it getting dark out.

We paid the taxi and found a man with a sign that had our name on it. He looked a lot like the guy that had taken us on boat earlier, so I imagined they were related and this boat thing was a family business.

"Hello, hello… come now, we have to hurry before they close the dock and don't allow us to navigate."

"Where are we going?"

"The famous Blue Caves, I'll tell you about them on the boat, let's hurry."

We practically ran to his boat, which was more of a yacht, far bigger than the one earlier, and without much delay, took off. Once we were several yards away from the dock, he turned to us and lowered the speed.

"Ok, so… the Blue Caves… they are one of Zakythos' most amazing natural attractions. They're basically arches created in the mountain due to the erosion of the water, so you can go inside them swimming or diving. The unique element of the blue caves is that they reflect the blue color of the waters in them and at the same time mirror the shine of the sky reflected on their surface. This series of bright reflection creates an effect that many people call "magical", the atmosphere that is created inside is surreal, believe me. And the good thing is this amazing effect is best appreciated at sunrise or sunset, so we're just in time."

We got closer and closer to the mountain until the cave was visible.

"This is Kianoun, the biggest of the Blue Caves."

"So, what now?" – Jacob was standing up now, looking into the mysterious and yet entrancing cave.

"Now you go into the water… you do know how to swim, yes?"

Jacob rolled his eyes at me and sarcastically answered - "I think we'll manage". So the man steered closer until his boat was nearly touching the mountain wall.

"Ok, since it's pretty deep I always give the tourists this." – The man handed us two donut shaped lifesavers. – "You can hold on to them or get on top and ride them; I've seen people enjoy it much better than swimming the entire time; so there you go. I'll go around sail around a bit to give you some privacy and I'll come back in two hours, sound good?"

We nodded, took the lifesavers and took our clothes off again, leaving only our swimsuits on. You would think that by now I'd be bored with the water, that by now the prospect of getting in yet another time would be uninteresting, but for some reason, it wasn't. I was glad, even relieved to get back into the warm soothing Mediterranean water and I could tell Jake was too. So we dove in and swam toward the entry, using the lifesavers as floaters.

I don't think anything could have prepared me for what I saw once we got inside. "Magical" doesn't even begin to describe it, not one bit. It was as if Greek gods really did exist and decided to create a sanctuary for themselves; a place filled with beauty and mystery and enchantment, where mere mortals would not have the honor to enter. _That_ is what it looked like, a place of worship and reverence.

I immediately felt a surge of happiness overtake me and an immense feeling of gratefulness for being so blessed to be witnessing the most beautiful place on Earth with the man I adore.

"Wow." – Jacob was looking around just as stunned as me.

"I know… how is it possible that I'd never heard of this place?"

"I have no idea, but I am _truly _falling in love with Pixie."

We both laughed, still very much focused on taking it all in. Everything inside was vibrating with reflections of light in all different shades of blue and turquoise. The rocky surface looked striking, with the swirls of light moving to the rhythm of the water and igniting from time to time when the Sun's direct rays would penetrate the space. Even my and Jacob's skin seemed to be glowing because of the shimmering effect. The whole atmosphere inside was otherworldly, to say the least.

"Isn't this the most wonderful thing you've ever seen?"

"No."

I turned to look at Jacob with incredibility, because I was sure that in my entire lifetime I would never encounter a more amazing place; and considering Jacob has never traveled farther than North America, there was no way he'd ever seen something better.

"What?"

"No."

"That's not possible Jake, what on Earth could be more wonderful than this?"

He swam closer to me so that our lifesavers where touching, one in front of the other just like us. We where face to face and I couldn't help but stare at Jacob's beauty as the light kept reflecting on his skin and made his eyes look like they were blazing.

"I'm looking at it."

I just stood there spellbound by his words, not able to speak or react in any way. I couldn't handle so much happiness all at once and definitely couldn't handle the overwhelming beauty of the space mixed with the way Jacob was looking at me.

"Did you hear me?"

I blinked once, still unable to respond and still held captive by his blazing eyes.

"Nothing will ever compare to you."

For some reason my brain was experiencing malfunction, because it started playing the Sinead O'Connor song "Nothing compares to you" over and over again, annoying the hell out of me. Jacob half smiled at me, unaware of the demented song in my head.

"You're everything. You're the air I breathe, the Sun that shines above me, the wet leaves I walk over, the blood that runs though my veins and everything else in between. Without you there's nothing and _I'm _nothing."

I just kept looking at him. For some reason, even though he'd already said things like this to me before, this time it was somehow more intense and real and honest. It felt as if it were the first time he was declaring his love.

"Renesmee are you listening to me?"

Hearing my complete name come out of Jacob mouth, something I'd never heard before, brought me back from my muteness. I reacted, doing a double take and making Jake smile wider.

"Renesmee?" – I lifted my brows in surprise. Jacob smiled and sheepishly looked up at me through his eyelashes.

"Thought that might get your attention…"

"I _was_ paying attention; I just didn't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything… you could show me." – He shyly asked, taking my hand and leading it to his face. – "I love when you show me things."

So I showed him how surprised I was to hear him say my name, because showing him what all the other things he'd said before had meant to me felt like an overload of emotions he might not understand.

"I'd never said your name out loud like that before; felt good."

"_Sounded good… say it again."_- I projected.

"Renesmee."

"_Again."_ – I pushed my lifesaver aside and held on to Jacob's, closing the distance between us. He took in my face before speaking again.

"Renesmee?"

"_Yes?"_

"Do you love me?"

For some reason I pulled my hand from his face, making him frown slightly and search my face for the reason. This time I needed to answer him out loud.

"No."

"No?" – Jacob pulled himself closer to me and started caressing my arms as I held on to the lifesaver. "You don't?"

He seemed half amused and half worried, which was absolutely cute.

"No… I love my parents, I love my grandparents and aunts and uncles and Quil and Embry and Seth and Amanda… but I wouldn't die if they did. Without you there's nothing for me either."

His face lit up and he leaned forward to kiss my cheek, the way he used to when I was a kid, but lingering a little longer. He then pulled back enough to look at my face but remaining so close our noses were almost touching and the lifesaver between us was in danger of bursting.

After a few minutes of just floating there, staring at each other, I broke the silence.

"What did it feel like? ... When you imprinted?" – I always wondered about that moment, but up until now hadn't found the right time to ask. Jacob's face lit up again as he searched my eyes, as if the memory were embedded in them.

"It was… amazing. It's like you're holding on to all these balloons by their strings, each one representing an area or person in your life, each one tying you down with worries and obligations and wants… and then… suddenly… they all get cut and released, each one no longer attached to you, each one drifting into the abyss and becoming discarded as they get farther and farther away, until you can't even remember why they mattered in the first place. And then… you realize you're not left alone or empty, because all these balloons are replaced by a new one, a better one, the only one you would ever want to be tied down to."

"And you were ok with that? With letting go of everything?" – It seemed like an awfully radical change in a matter of seconds, something I still couldn't really wrap my head around.

"Yes, because my life started making sense the moment I saw you."

"I wish I could remember… what it felt like for me."

"Blondie was holding you up in the air and… you looked at me. I don't know if you felt anything back then, but we just looked at each other for the longest time."

"Did anyone notice? Right away I mean."

"No, I wasn't in wolf form so my pack wasn't connected to me at the time… Rosalie was so happy to have you that she barely noticed I was behind her… and Edward was upstairs, with Bells."

"Is that when he thought mom would die?"

"She _was_ dead."

"Why weren't you upstairs too? Mom told me you were there when she gave birth to me, why didn't you stay with her?"

"She was… dying and I… I thought I was in love with her… I couldn't take it, so I went downstairs, drenched in her blood and knowing I'd lost her. You see, when she was dying and you were taken away, I… I couldn't feel it anymore, that thing I used to feel for her, that pull… I thought it was gone because she was dead, because she was no longer in her body… but the truth is, it was gone because you were."

I imagined dad and what it must have been like to think mom was dead… and because of me. The image was horrible. So many times they'd told me the story but made it seem like not a big deal, but hearing Jacob describe how he thought mom was dead, well, it was clear it _had_ been a big deal.

"Did he… did he blame me? Did _you_ blame me?" – Something about my question made Jacob brake eye contact and look down… unwilling.

"You did?" – His face was all the answer I needed, but I still wanted to hear it from him.

"Yes… but I didn't know, I was confused and lost… I couldn't see the big picture." – His eyes were pleading, as if begging me not to get offended or mad at him, but the truth is, I couldn't get mad at him, because in a way they were right, I'd almost killed her.

"Nessie? I'm sorry… you have to understand, when she was pregnant with you, I… I loved her even more and I thought I'd lose her. As if someone were trying to take you away from me now, I would hate them… but it was all wrong, I had it all wrong… "

"You don't have to explain… I understand."

"Do you really?"

"Yes."

"Don't just say yes… do you really… do you realize I was already in love with you?"

"Jacob, for once… I'm not jealous of mom… and I'm not mad that you hated me for almost killing her… not when I'm here, this happy, with you. Whatever happened before means nothing, I know that now."

Jacob's expression went from mortified to slightly more relaxed and happy.

"Really?"

I nodded, making his face spread out into a huge grin.

"Wow… I was afraid when that whole thing would come up, I was sure you'd stop talking to me for at least a couple of days."

"Well, that's just how nice I am."

Jacob chuckled pulled my face to kiss me.

"You have no idea how relieved I am… I mean… I've been feeling guilty all this time! I know I had no way of knowing, but just to remember how I used to blame you and not want you… I was so stupid."

"You should have told me sooner… I would have understood."

Jacob's face was in danger of bursting from happiness, with his Jacob grin spreading wider and wider. He leaned in again and kissed me again, with a smile still on his lips; his taste was so delicious that I never wanted to let him go. He pulled back again leaving me wanting him.

"So… any other confessions? You should get them out of the way now that I'm in such a good mood."

"Mmm… I followed you on your date with Tyler."

"What?!" – I busted out laughing, not at all expecting the words that came out of his mouth and finding them hilarious.

"When you went out with that kid… I… I followed you." – He was sheepishly smiling; even though it was obvious he didn't regret it or really feel ashamed.

"That wasn't a date Jacob."

"I know… but it still drove me crazy."

"You were jealous?" – Up until now, I hadn't really made sense out of his behavior that time. The thought of Jacob jealous was surprisingly completely pleasing; now I understood why he liked it so much when he did it to me.

"Insanely."

I kept giggling with delight as he just smiled amused at my response.

"You know… I kept sensing your scent that whole day, but I just thought I was going crazy! I wish I'd known!"

"Well, you know now."

"That makes me happy… thanks for telling me." – I was feeling so giddy it was crazy.

"Now you… tell me something I don't know."

"Mmm… like what?"

"Like how you knew you loved me."

"I showed you, when we first kissed, the first time I noticed you differently."

"That was just the first time you were attracted to me… I want to know how you knew you were _in love_ with me." – Jacob's eyes were sparkling with anticipation. I broke eye contact to take in our supernatural and glorious surrounding and tried to remember the precise moment.

"Do you remember Quil's surprise birthday party?"

"More like birthday _disaster_! That's a pretty hard one to forget." – He chuckled by the memory.

"Do you remember how Leah got a fight with Rachel and how Paul phased and almost killed Seth because he was defending Leah against Rache… and then they banged a whole in the wall and knocked over the ice cream cake and we had to run all the way to town to get a replacement… and how Clair decided to throw a fit in the middle of everything and almost spoiled the surprise?"

"My favorite part was when the police stopped us for speeding on our way back from picking up the cake, and I didn't have my driver's license with me… and you had to call Edward who got hysterical when he had to come get us at the station…"

"And the cake had already melted once we were able to reach the party."

We both laughed, remembering what a crazy and accident prone day that had been; by the end of it everyone having pledged they would never _ever_ organize a surprise party again.

"Yeah, I remember… but what does that have to do with what I asked you?"

"It has everything to do with it, because even though it was a horrible day and everyone was mad at everyone and Clair was crying and dad yelled at you and the cake and living room wall were murdered… it was still the most fun I'd ever had, because I was with you. You kept making jokes the entire time and were able to calm everyone down… I just watched you, as you remained positive and cool and worked everything out; the way you held Clair and promised she'd see Quil soon and even the way you took my dad's reprimand for being irresponsible with humor… and I knew, I knew I was in love with you… because everything you did seemed perfect to me, every smile, every joke, even every harsh word you threw at Leah for causing trouble."

Jacob was looking at me, not smiling, just looking; with his eyes full of happiness. He took my hands and kissed my knuckles, still lovingly gazing at me.

"And then, when you dropped me off at the cottage and I watched you leave… I… I felt like I couldn't breathe, like something was constricting my chest, like the air around me got heavy without you… so I sneaked out of the cottage and went to your house." – That wasn't something I ever planned on telling him; I hadn't even told Amanda who knew all about the angst I went through and all the embarrassing things I did.

"You did? How come I never knew this?"

"Because I didn't knock. I wanted to be near you but I knew that if a came closer you'd sense me… so I slept on the forest ground, close enough to see your window."

"God Ness… why didn't you wake me? Why didn't you come nearer? You slept outside the entire time? You should have said something to me." – Jacob looked frustrated, as if it were happening right now.

"I thought you looked at me like a little sister and I didn't want to make a fool of myself by knocking on your window and telling you I couldn't stay away from you."

"I can't believe it… I can't believe you slept outside like some dog while I lay there clueless in my bed… dammit Nessie, you should have said something."

"Jake, relax… this is supposed to be a good story, remember?"

He laughed when he realized he was slightly overreacting.

"Just don't ever keep your feelings from me again, ok?"

"Promise."

"And certainly never _ever_ sleep outside unless you have me to keep you warm."

I giggled.

"Promise."

"Wow, Quil's birthday was a long time ago… all that time and I didn't realize you're feelings."

"I didn't realize yours either."

"Yeah well… it took me a while to figure them out myself… it was hard to tell if I was _in love_ with you or just loved you the way I always did; until your birthday came along, then it was pretty obvious."

I glanced down at my engagement ring, imagining Jacob leaving my birthday party to go buy it.

"I wish you would have told me that day… would have been a pretty good birthday present."

"Yeah, that and the sight of Edward clobbering me."

We both broke out in laughter. To think that we both loved each other but kept it from one another because we were clueless about the other's feelings. All the times I thought Jacob was being indifferent or saw me like a kid, he was really dying to tell me about imprinting, but waiting for me to make the first move. How silly.

After we were done laughing, he leaned in and kissed me for the millionth time. The lifesaver was sort of in the way, but since it was the only thing keeping us afloat, I continued to hold on to it but tilted farther so I could be closer to his lips. After an eternity of just savoring each other, I was the one to pull back a bit, wanting to see his face and the way the cave shimmer and light adorned his skin. He smiled and traced kisses all over my face; soft sweet kissed that covered my eyes, nose, forehead and chin.

"How did I get to be so lucky? I'm just a poor sucker who got pulled into this whole supernatural world… I never thought it would bring me you… all those times I thought I didn't deserve this life because it was something bad, when really I didn't deserve it because I don't deserve you… and I don't think I ever will." – He whispered.

"That's not true… I was born for you Jacob, every little bit of me is for you. I somehow knew it when I was a kid and now I know it completely. I'm yours… just don't get tired of me."

He chuckled and pulled me closer by my arms, squishing even more the lifesaver between us but still using it to float.

"I think it's easier for you to get tired of _me_."

"No, not possible."

"You sure? Cuz we're talking about an endless lifetime here."

"We'll that's what I'm counting on; I wouldn't be able to get my fill of Jacob with a normal length human life."

"Your _fill_ of Jacob?" – He lifted one brow up and gave me a sexy ass smile. He leaned in and passionately kissed me, making the butterflies in my stomach go crazy. We'd had very little physical contact since the night before, having spent the entire day surrounded by people, so I was really starting to miss him… physically. I leaned in closer myself and took in his delicious scent, his alluring hot breath and luscious taste.

He pulled back much too soon and I could still see the burning in his eyes, maybe from the effect of the cave or maybe because he missed me like I missed him.

"What are we going to do Ness? I don't think I can go back to my everyday life when I want to spend every waking hour with you… I just can't imagine leaving you to go to work."

"I know, I know… but we don't need to worry about that now… not when we're here, in the Gods' Lair."

"What?" – Jacob was smiling amused at my depiction of the cave.

"It just seems like this place was magically created by Greek gods or something." – I answered shyly, thinking Jacob might think I was being silly, but he just took his eyes off me and looked up at the glimmering cave surface.

"You think they're watching us right now?"

I giggled, because I wasn't sure if he was joking or being serious. He looked back at me and half smiled.

"Why don't we give them a show?" – He pushed the lifesaver out of the way and pushed me to the cave wall, holding on to me with one hand and keeping us afloat by grabbing on to a rock with the other.

We began to kiss as I too held on to the rocks that stuck out of the cave walls, supporting my own weight above the water.

"You think they'll be jealous?" – He whispered.

"Who?"

"The gods… you think they'll be jealous that I can make love to such a beautiful creature?"

I had to laugh, because Jake was taking this too far.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"Just a little… but enough fooling around, let's get down to making them jealous."

Jacob took a breath and submerged under water, but before I could ask what he was doing, I felt him run his hands down my tummy and pull my bikini bottoms down. He emerged and put his arm through one of the bikini wholes, keeping it securely hanging from his arm.

"We wouldn't want to lose that and have to explain your nakedness to the boat guy."

"Good thinking." – I giggled.

Jake smiled but then got suddenly serious, running his free hand over my hair and breaking eye contact.

"What?" – I asked.

"I'm nervous, I always get nervous." – He shyly smiled, still running his hand through my hair and tucking it behind my ear.

"You don't have to be." – I whispered.

"But I am… every time; I just feel my heart coming out of my throat."

"Do _I_ make you nervous?" – The last thing I wanted was to make him feel insecure or anything, not when he was so amazing at this.

"Yes." – He pressed closer, putting his forehead to mine. –"But I don't really mind."

"I don't want you to be nervous… what can I do?"

"Just kiss me."

So I did, I kissed him and began to pull his swim trunks down only half way.

"Is this working?" – I whispered into his mouth, as I felt his lips smile against mine.

"Not yet."

So we kept kissing with far more passion, until I could hear him breathing hard.

"Now?"

"Almost." – He breathed, now pressing closer to me so that I could feel his bare skin glued to mine.

I kept holding on to the rock with on hand as I slipped the other under water and, feeling more than a little apprehensive, took hold of his "boy part" and guided it toward me. Jacob opened his eyes to look at me as I did this, his face reflecting surprise at my bold move.

"You belong inside me Jacob." – I was able to breathe out, stunning myself with my own words. What has gotten into me?

"And you say you don't want to make me nervous." – Jake teasingly blurted out in a whisper.

And then, like the sweetest most amazing sensation, it happened. Jake pressed me harder to the cave wall and took hold of my butt with his free hand, moving my pelvis to the rhythm he wanted. Our movement was causing small waves in the water, making the rays and swirls of light reflected in the cave dance and move in more magical patterns. I kept my eyes opened, as to be able to admire the cave's beauty as well as Jacob's.

"S… s… still nerv… nervous?"

"No… no…"

"I… I don't want this to ever end… promise me… promise we'll… we'll always have each other."

"I promise Ness… I'll never leave you… ever."

We continued to make love underneath the gods' gleaming sanctuary. Being this close to Jacob was always more than overwhelming, like my heart and everything else would simply crumble under the enormous pressure of my adoration and devotion for him. The pleasure was insane, sure, but knowing we were as close as we'd ever get, that was even better.

I reluctantly closed my eyes, unable to keep them open for any longer and wanting to shut everything else out and just feel _him_. I imagined a lifetime of this, a lifetime together being _this_ 'n sync, and couldn't even catch my breath.

"Ness… look at me."

I opened my eyes to find him ardently looking back at me, smiling when I obeyed his plea. I smiled back and took his face in both my hands, projecting the loving words my lips wanted to speak but couldn't due to the rapture overtaking my body.

"God Ness…" – Jake was the first to break eye contact, leaning his forehead on my shoulder and moaning loudly. I continued to show him things, what I was feeling, how much I loved him, how afraid I was to lose him… everything just pouring out of my hands and on to his face.

He pulled me closer and wrapped my legs securely around him, looking back at me again. He was now the one holding on to a rock with one hand to keep us both above water, because mine were busy projecting. Even though trying to keep afloat while making love was tricky and uncomfortable, it was still the most amazing out of all the previous experiences.

The Sun was already coming down, making the water sparkle with hues of red and orange and making the cave grow darker by the minute. Pretty soon the radiant effect would end completely and we'd be left in the dark, but I didn't care. I could still see Jacob's blazing eyes through the dark and could still feel him under the water, his heat radiating on to me from the outside _and_ inside. Everything within me was burning and even though I hungered for more, I knew very well there wasn't anything more; this was the highest height.

"I want to give you more, so much more." – Jake panted, probably still receiving through my hands my entire thoughts and responding to them. By this point it was impossible to answer him, not by speaking or even projecting. My mind was in complete chaos as my body began to reach its climax.

As always, we both peaked at the same time, relaxing our bodies but keeping them in the same strong embrace. Jacob was smiling, looking in to my eyes as if searching for something, as I continued to caress his cheeks with my hands.

We stayed like that for the longest time, until we both heard in the distance the yacht approaching.

"I don't want to leave this place." – I whispered, sounding more like a plea than anything else. I felt my eyes sting with tears, because I was serious, I really didn't want to go.

"Baby, I doubt the gods will let us stay for any longer… not after we just desecrated their "lair"." – He teasingly smiled at me, leaning in to kiss both my tear filled eyes.

"I'm serious."

"I know you are… but this place isn't sacred or special in itself… it's magical because we are in it, because we're here _together_ in it… the magic is here baby, in us."

I nodded and pulled myself closer, searching for his lips which I willingly found. He softly kissed me until we hear the yacht already far too close. Jacob stopped kissing me and dove into the water, slowly pulling my bikini bottom back on and pulling his trunks up.

He resurfaced with a grin on his face.

"There, no harm done."

Just then, the yacht appeared from behind the mountain, shining its head lights on us. We both reached for the lifesavers and swam to the boat, as the man lowered a set of steps. Once we were inside he offered us a pair of robes and some towels.

"Amazing yes?"

"More than you know… the gods definitely got a good show."

I elbowed Jacob, who just playfully smiled at me. The man, thank god, didn't get Jacob's joke and simply turned around to steer the yacht away and back towards the dock.

When we made it to land, it was already pitch black. There was another taxi waiting for us and I suddenly dreaded the idea of having to take the long trip back to Mykonos. But thankfully, that was not the case. The taxi driver told us he was instructed to take us to a nearby hotel, right there on the West Coast of the island; so Jake and I snuggled in the back seat as we made our way there.

The hotel was really nice and intimate, with only a few chalets available directly on the beach. Since it was dark out we really couldn't appreciate the beauty of the location, but it seemed like the kind of place that would be a surfer's paradise. The chalets where more like small shacks that seemed to be rustically made out of wooden logs and palm roofs. There was no electricity, so the area surrounding the shacks was lit up by bamboo oil lanterns buried in the sand, lighting up the way toward each unit as well as toward the reception.

They were already expecting us, giving us a key to our chalet and handing us a box of long stem matches. Jacob turned to look at me with a mocking face, because the whole match thing seemed like a joke, even though it wasn't. So we headed toward our shack and once inside, lit up all the lanterns and candles spread across the rooms.

The shack was small, consisting only of one bedroom, a bathroom, a small living room, kitchenette and a porch directly on top of the water with a table and two chairs. There were basically no divisions in between the different rooms, the only thing separating them where these long mosquito net looking curtains. The whole place seemed crazy romantic, maybe because it was candlelit or because it was so rustic and wild or because you could listen to the waves crashing softly underneath the wooden floors or maybe, and probably more accurate, because Jacob's scent was filling up the small space.

He was standing there, under the candle light, in all his magnificent glory. So tall and muscular and dark, so intimidating and vulnerable at the same time, so regal and noble and yet humble; all the qualities I adore in him, all the things that make him who he is, coming out of him and becoming even more obvious tonight.

He had his hands inside his pockets, the shirt he was wearing still damp from having put it back on without drying after the cave. I smiled at him and walked to where he was standing, wrapping my arms around his narrow waist and looking up at his adoring eyes.

"You like it here?"

"Yeah, I never thought Pixie of all people would reserve a place like this… I mean, _Pixie,_ who gets furious when we walk around shoeless."

We both laughed and kept hugging. After a few minutes I heard him exhale and break the silence.

"Dammit Ness… I want to make love to you again… this is crazy."

I had to giggle, because Jake really looked troubled by this, as if he couldn't stop drinking or smoking or something harmful like that.

"I'm like an addict, I'm afraid you'll get fed up with me… I don't want that."

"I won't… I've already told you."

"It's just that I don't want our married life to be some sort of never ending porno." – We both laughed when he said this, because somehow he made it sound comical. At least he wasn't beating himself up or feeling guilty.

"Jake, it's not… you're exaggerating."

"Am I? I mean, we just had the most Earth shattering sex like half an hour ago and I already want more… tell me that's not exaggerating."

"Ok, ok… maybe… but I'm guessing it's because it's new and…" – I couldn't keep rationalizing, because I knew deep down inside that decades of decades could go by and I would still want him this way. So I tried a different rationalization. – "Maybe there's nothing wrong with it… look at all the couples in my family… they never sleep! I mean, eight hours a day, that we know of, of uninterrupted love making!"

"Yeah, well… I thought that was a leech thing."

"You forget I'm half _leech_."

"No baby, please don't call yourself that." – He shook his head and leaned down, pressing his forehead to mine.

"Well I am! And you're half animal, no offense… just pure instinct and impulse."

He let out a loud bark laugh when I said he was "half animal", pulling me closer and squeezing me to his chest.

"You got that wrong Ness, I'm _all_ animal." – He softly growled in my ear, giving me Goosebumps at the feeling of the reverberation of his throat against mine.

"So… does that mean I'm getting some?" – All this sexual talk and innuendos sounded stupid coming out of my mouth. "Getting some"? That was probably something I'd heard in a movie or something, so I made a mental note to get more material or come up with less embarrassing and cliché stuff of my own. Thankfully, Jacob didn't seem to notice the tackiness in my line, he simply chuckled in my ear.

"Do you want _"some_"?"

"No, not _"some_"… I want it _all_."

"You don't think it's wrong; that maybe we're overdoing it?"

"Jacob, you worry too much. For once, can you just be reckless like you were with mom with me?"

He smiled and leaned down to kiss me, pulling away only slightly so he could speak.

"Just for the record… I never did _anything_ like this with Bella." – I giggled as he started walking backwards toward the bedroom, holding my hand and pulling me with him. His eyes were so intense and seductive I thought my knees would just buckle under me.

He was right, this was crazy. I wondered if we'd ever be able to go back to just cuddling and fondling without taking it all the way, if once we got back our desires would subside enough so that making love wouldn't be on our minds every five minutes. It was hard to imagine it ever happening, not when Jacob kept looking better and better to me and certainly not when my body ached for him the way my lungs yearn for air or my stomach yearns for food.

We entered the candle lit room and all I could think was "I hope this never ends."

**So very sorry for the tardy update, just couldn't find the time to write. The Blue Caves is my idea of the "meadow scene" for Nessie and Jacob, or at least that's what came to mind when I was writing it (not that I'm comparing myself to the amazing Stephenie Meyer or saying that my scene is anywhere near the splendor of the Bella/Edward meadow). For those who get bored with fluff… we got some action coming up!**

**Thanks for sticking with this story and remember… the more reviews I get the faster I write jajajaja **


	31. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters, just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 30**

**Jacob's POV**

"It's so good to be back!" – Ness walked first into the villa, looking around and inhaling as though this were our home and we'd been gone for days.

It was Thursday already, Thursday in the afternoon. Time just seemed to be flying this week, which I really hated. After waking up in the little chalet up in Zakynthos, we'd been surprised with a full morning of already paid for surfing lessons. We were having so much fun surfing out in the Sun that we completely lost track of time and were shocked when a driver came to pick us up to head back here.

"Yeah, it is… although I'm going to miss that little shack."

"Because it was all natural and uncivilized?"

"No, because of the memories."

Ness quickly turned to look at me, blushing slightly before just as quickly turning back and taking her bag upstairs with a smile on her face.

It was hard not to let my mind wonder toward the events of last night. First there was the cave; just remembering that magical place made my stomach feel warm. There had been something powerful behind that evening, something otherworldly, or maybe my love for Ness was so huge that it made everything seem extraordinary, who knows. What I _do_ know is that I had never in my life experienced so much pleasure and enrapturing bliss.

And then of course came the little shack. I still think it was a bit greedy of me to want to be with Nessie again after the cave. Any man should thank his lucky stars for having the cave experience and I'm pretty sure that if life were fair, that single episode would have been enough sex for one lifetime. But since for some reason life is turning out to be extremely kind to me, I still had the chance for more later on. I knew I was in trouble, big trouble. There was this insatiable hunger for Ness growing and growing inside me and apparently nothing seemed to quiet it down; because the more I made love to her, the more I seemed to want to.

Ness came back down and suggested we lounge out by the pool, so we did just that. We snuggled up on the huge bed that sat under a tent right next to the pool's edge. The sea breeze was hitting us, making the curtains around the tent flutter. I closed my eyes and dozed off for a few minutes until Ness broke the silence.

"I wish we hadn't destroyed the Jacuzzi."

"Yeah, I know… we barely got a chance to break it in."

Ness laughed and turned around so she could face me. She looked so darn good, with her curls flowing wildly all over the place and her skin looking so radiant that I damn near had a heart attack.

"Do you want to check out Aunt Alice's schedule for today?"

"Not really… can we just blow it off and stay here?"

"Yeah, let's do that."

I caught her glancing at the broken Jacuzzi with what I could tell was disappointment, something I couldn't stand seeing reflected on her face.

"You know… the tub upstairs has a Jacuzzi system."

She giggled and bounced up from the bed, standing beside me.

"Ok, let's go; I'll race you!" – She sped off and disappeared into the villa. For once I thought I'd let her win, so I slowly made my way up the stairs and into the main bedroom, where I was delighted to see all her clothes tossed out on the floor. My heart began to beat faster but I tried to fake composure, like the idiot I am.

When I entered the massive bathroom Nessie was standing next to the tub, naked. I tried to suppress a smile and ran my hand over my hair, hoping to play it cool. When I looked up at her she was giving me the naughty sexy look I'm sure she knows drives me wild.

"Need a hand undressing Mr. Black?"

"How about two?"

She giggled and bit her lip, taking a step toward me and starting by lifting my shirt off. She then unbuttoned my jeans, making me almost loose it; the proximity of her hands around that area stirring up all sorts of memories and desires. When she was done I was left wearing only my boxer briefs, but instead of going for them like I wanted her to, she simply turned around and tested the water in the already running tub.

"I think it's best if you take care of that yourself."

Like someone had just dipped me in cold water, I realized sex was not in her agenda… at least for now. So I quieted down my urges and took my boxers off, stepping in and dipping into the tub before her. She smiled when she realized I'd gotten the hint and did the same, sitting across from me and spreading out her legs in front of her so that I could take her feet in my hands and massage them.

The tub turned out to have a whirlpool just as good as the one in the damaged Jacuzzi. We both laid there just talking and relaxing as the jets massaged our backs and the warm water soothed our skin.

"So?"

"Not bad… so let's try not to break this one." – Ness gave me a teasing smile and leaned back, resting her head on the edge.

This wasn't half bad. I mean, we were both naked, at a close proximity, and yet we'd managed to keep it innocent. After a few minutes, I was starting to feel optimistic about the future, like maybe we'd be able to go around without sex every half hour or so. I was just about to comment on this to Nessie when the phone rang.

We both looked at each other in surprise, because we'd both purposely turned off our cell phones on our first day here, so the ring could only be coming from the actual phone in the villa.

"Be right back."

"Hurry."

I smiled when I realized she was being serious with the whole "hurry" thing; it felt good to be wanted, especially by Nessie, the reason of my existence. I got out of the tub and didn't even bother to wrap a towel around me; instead I ran to the bedroom and picked up the phone on one of the nightstands.

"Yeah?"

"_Hello Jacob."_

Nothing could have prepared me for Edward's voice on the other side of the line. My mind started flipping through images of all the things me and Nessie had done these past three days and for some reason I felt guilty. His voice sent a nervous ping all through my stomach and I wondered if I could just hang up and blame it on bad reception.

"Um… hi Edward."

"_How are you?"_

It was really awkward to have Edward, my crazy murderous father-in-law, asking me how I was when I had his daughter waiting for me naked in a bathtub just a few feet away. I suddenly became very aware of my own nudeness and wanted desperately to cover up, as if the leech could actually see through the phone.

"Um… good… and you?" – The words sounded stupid coming out of my mouth. When have I _ever_ asked Edward how he is? When had we _ever_ had this kind of conventional ice breaking when our conversations are usually to the point?

"_Good, everyone here is good… and Nessie? How is she?"_

Again the ping in my stomach at the mere mention of her name coming from his lips. I inhaled as my mind sorted through a series of seriously inappropriate adjectives with which to describe her, throwing out words like "delicious", "sexy", "naughty", "irresistible", "naked"… leave it to my brain to fail me in the most crucial of moments.

"Good, she's good." – More like amazing, but to say that would _really _be out of the question.

"_Good, I'm glad. So… having fun?"_

Even though the question was normal in any everyday conversation, when Edward said it, it came out pained and strained, like he was having a hard time even uttering the words. I knew this little chit chat had to stop.

"Ok Edward, what's going on?"

"_We just wanted to check up on you… there's been a new development."_

"Development? On what?"

"_It's nothing to worry about; Carlisle has come to the conclusion that in fact the Volturi were the ones to not only create but also send the werewolves our way, and since you and Nessie are in Europe, fairly close to Italy, well, we just wanted to make sure everything is fine, considering Alice can't exactly "see" you." _

"Dammit… why didn't they just come after us themselves?"

"_I'm sure they're trying to keep up appearances… and also… and this is just a hypothesis mind you… we think they were not only after killing us but after something much more specific."_

"What do you mean?"

"_The female werewolf Carlisle was able to interrogate spoke about "conquering il dominante and acquiring its treasure"."_

"Ok, yeah, Bella told me about this… it's a bunch of jiverish, right?"

"_I don't mean to alarm you… this is just a hypothesis… but il dominante in Italian means "the dominant", it's a term used when referring to the alpha male… to __the alpha__." _

"You're kidding, you mean they were after me?"

"_We believe that's why they so deliberately went after Sam, maybe they thought he was you."_

This was definitely a reality check to bring me back from the blissful paradise I was experiencing. Edward's words hit me hard, could it be possible that I was meant to die instead of Sam? But why would the Volturi bother with me? I have nothing of interest to them, do I?

"Edward, this is all coming as a big shock to me. Are you sure about this?"

"_Not entirely, these are just conjectures."_

Nessie came out of the bathroom with a towel around her and by the look on her face I could tell she had listened to the entire conversation. She stood in front of me, reading my face.

"Well, what would they want with me?"

"_I don't know, but they seemed awfully interested in you when we faced them 5 years ago. For all we know they could want to run experiments on you or even recruit you."_

Nessie stepped closer to me and took hold of my free hand, looking into my eyes with worry in hers.

"_But I'm afraid that's not the part that alarms me Jacob. The female werewolf also said "acquire its treasure"."_

"Yeah, so?"

"_Tell me Jacob… what's your greatest treasure?"_

She was standing before me, her eyes wide with the same realization I was experiencing, the same realization everyone home had already had and were now sharing with us. The Volturi were after Ness.

My throat suddenly became hoarse and dry. I pulled Ness toward me and hugged her to my chest with one arm as I held the phone with the other.

"Listen to me Edward… this is all a hypothesis right? Treasure could mean money or gold or who knows what."

"_True… but according to Carlisle, Esme and even Nessie herself, the female werewolf recognized Nessie… she recognized her and ran straight toward her, never keeping her eyes off her."_

"Shit Edward, what should we do? Do you think they'll strike again? Do you think they know where we are?"

"_No, I'm sure you're much safer there than here. I would advise for you to keep calm while we find more information."_

"Dammit Edward! You don't spring something like this on a guy and tell him to "keep calm"; this is my wife who we're talking about!"

"_And my daughter. Trust me, no one is taking this lightly, but for now that's all the information I can give you. Just stay put and be careful."_

"You've got to give me more than that Edward."

"_Listen, Carlisle is close to finding the exact genetic composition of these hybrids, which means we'll be able to know their weaknesses if they ever show up again… as for the Volturi, we might have a way to enter into some diplomatic dialogue."_

"Are you kidding me? Those bloodsuckers are liars and traitors and spin things their way… what kind of diplomacy do you expect?"

"_Carlisle's doctor friend in Switzerland is in good terms with Marcus, so we might find something out through there. It is imperative that we figure out their motives; that would be the key to handling this whole thing. If it makes you feel any better, we all seriously doubt any of them mean Nessie harm."_

"Please don't defend your leech royals."

"_I'm not defending them, I'm certain their intentions are not honorable, despite the fact that I believe no physical harm to Ness is intended."_

Nessie looked up at me with her almond eyes and pressed her hand to my face, projecting how she didn't think they meant her harm either and how she knew we'd be ok. I took in a big breath and let it out slowly, knowing that if Ness wasn't panicking, I shouldn't either.

"Ok Edward, we'll stay put, but just promise me you'll let us know what's going on."

"_I promise… now… may I speak to my baby?" _

Correction, _my baby_. But since I really wasn't in the mood to mess with him or stake my claim, I simply handed the phone to Ness and walked over to the bathroom to get a towel and cover up.

"Hi dad… are you sure we shouldn't worry?"

"_No, you shouldn't… at least for now. So… everyone here is dying to know how's everything going."_

"Um… good… really good… Aunt Alice did an amazing job; we've been having the best time… I'll show you pictures when we get back because you have to see this place, it's beautiful."

"_Well I'll be sure to tell her. I don't want to keep you, so your mother and I send you our love and again… have fun but keep your eyes opened for anything."_

"I thought you said they don't know we're here."

"_They don't, it's just a precaution, alright?"_

"Ok dad, don't worry… Jake will take care of me."

"_I'm counting on it. Love you my darling, see you soon."_

"I love you too dad… tell momma I love her and everyone else… I miss you, bye."

"You _miss_ them?" – I came over to Ness who'd just hung up the phone.

"Not really." – She giggled and wrapped her arms around my waist, looking up at me.

"You're not worried about this?" – It was hard to take anything serious when we were all the way over here and having the time of our lives, but something in the back of my mind was telling me I _should_ be concerned.

"I don't know… we don't really know anything anyways… dad said not to worry."

"Yeah but still… it's the Volturi… I mean, I don't think we should underestimate them."

Ness' face grew somber and I wanted to kill myself for being the culprit of that mood change.

"I _am_ afraid… dead afraid… I've been terrified since I dreamed a werewolf had killed you… but I don't want to walk around worrying about tragedy hitting us when there's a good change we might just dodge it. Five years ago we all thought we'd get killed and we didn't, so…"

"You're right, I'm sorry… I don't want to stress you out. Let's just put it away for now and deal with it when we get back."

"Staying here just became much more tempting, huh?" – She smiled at me but I could still see traces of gloom in her eyes.

"Yep… how much do you think rent on this place runs for?"

She laughed and pulled me by my towel back toward the bathroom.

"I doubt we can afford it… so let's just make the best of the time we have."

So we did, we got right back in the tub and continued where we'd left off, just relaxing and talking, with the occasional physical displays of affection that painfully enough were kept tame and sex free.

The next few days we completely ignored Pixie´s schedule, because it involved several museum tours and a visit to another island that was known for its shopping attractions; so needless to say, I wasn't up for it. Instead we just lounged by the pool, tried our hand in making all sorts of fun cocktails in the pool's bar, slept entire afternoons on the villa's roof (a place we'd discovered a bit late in the game but that offered an amazing view of the sea and village as well as a really comfy outdoor couch and a terrace full of flowers) and went on long night walks around the beach and narrow streets of Mykonos.

The only activities we _did_ take her up on where scuba diving on Friday and parasailing on Saturday, which were so much fun I was tempted to buy the gear so we could do it back home, even though I knew it would never be the same.

We even tried our hand in sailing the small boat that came with the villa, which turned out to be hilarious considering neither one of us had ever sailed or really knew how to. We made it just a few yards away from the villa's dock but couldn't get beyond that, taking into account the fact that we hadn't figured out the way to raise the sail. So after hours of pulling on every cord and pushing all the buttons, we gave up and had to pull the boat ourselves back to the house. Ness looked so beautiful, pulling the boat and swimming beside me, laughing hysterically at our incompetence, that for one minute I considered the possibility of staying here, of not going home. For that brief minute I could see our lives here, the fun we'd have, the privacy; but then reality set in and I remembered I had a job back home, a family and a pack, and that the only reason we were living in such high luxury here was because Pixie was paying for it.

So Sunday came and went, and with it, our honeymoon. Ness looked like she wanted to cry the whole time she was packing on Sunday night, getting ready for our early Monday flight. I didn't feel to good myself, not when I knew all the complications waiting for us at home.

"I don't want to leave." – She turned to look at me, her body language asking for comfort. I stopped my own packing and came over to hug her from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder and kissing her neck.

"I don't either."

"But we have to."

"Yeah, we do."

"Are you almost done packing?"

"Almost. If we go to bed now we'll catch at least 4 hours of sleep." – Getting up early isn't exactly one of my fortes, so I was hoping to at least get a few hours before having to wake up at around 3am to make our 6:30am flight; Pixie sure did drop the ball on _that_ flight booking.

"Ok… but I want to do something first." – She turned around to face me; taking my breath away at how lovely she looked, even when sad.

"Sure."

"I… I want you to make love to me in this bed one more time." – Her eyes were sparkling with tears and looked eager for my response, as if I'd ever in a million years say no. So I took her face in my hands and slowly but thoroughly kissed her, hoping my lips could in some way make her feel better, hoping to find my own console in hers.

We headed toward the bed and she sat me down in it, climbing on top of me, just like she had on our first time. She began to trace the lines of my face with her fingers, taking in with her eyes my entire face as I took in hers. To think that I had once held her in my arms as a baby, that these same eyes had once looked up at me for the very first time, that I'd seen her grow and mature and learn, that I'd been there to spoil her when Edward or Bella would discipline her, that I'd watched her first footsteps, her first words, been the one to give her her first kiss. All these memories that made up the happiness of my life came rushing and they just consisted of five years, how many more would I have in ten, twenty, fifty years? Then, suddenly leaving this place didn't seem all that sad or scary anymore, not when I knew I'd have a lifetime for new and maybe even better memories.

"I love you Renesmee."

"I love you too Jacob."

"Jake, wake up… we're here."

I opened my eyes to find Nessie looking at me. I had slept throughout the entire flight, so it was kind of weird to look out the window and see nothing but darkness and a few lights in the distance, considering I'd dozed off when it was still light out. Ness smiled when she saw I'd come to and got up to start collecting our carry-on luggage from the overhead compartment. We went through baggage claim and customs surprisingly quickly and before I knew what hit me, before I could prepare for it, the Cullens were standing right in front of us.

Pixie was the first one to break ranks, skipping forward to hug Nessie.

"Wasn't it amazing? Wasn't it the best honeymoon ever?"

"Yes Alice, you outdid yourself!"

"Yey! Tell me more! What was your favorite part? The caves, the yacht trip, scuba diving?" – She was talking faster and pitchier than I'd ever heard her talk before and even though I was grateful for _everything_, I still felt like punching her so she'd just shut up.

"I'll tell you all about it, just let me say hi to everyone first."

"Of course!" – Pixie twirled around and left the space clear for everyone else. One by one all the leeches came over to greet us. I was just finishing saying hi to Emmett when I felt something hard smack my shoulder, causing severe pain and damn near dislocating it. I flinched and pulled back, alarmed by such a surprising blow. I turned to identify the source and was shocked to see Bells standing before me.

"What the hell Bells? What was that for?"

"_That_ was for imprinting on my baby and for whatever things you did to her this week!"

"Are you kidding me? That was five years ago! And… she's my wife!"

"Yeah, well, you had it coming… and I wanted to take away that horrible blissful face you have going on… I like pain better on it."

I started laughing, because she actually looked mortified.

"You're insane."

"And you're a horrible best friend… please don't smile like that." – She was trying to keep her face straight but was failing miserably, a smile already making its way to her lips. I kept smiling at her until she rolled her eyes and gave in to her smile.

"That hurt you know." – I wasn't joking; my shoulder was still sore and throbbing.

"Just wait till Edward sees you… remember_ I_ love you, Edward… not so much."

I looked around and realized he was missing from the bunch gathered around Nessie.

"Where is he anyway?"

"He's getting a little something for the two of you… he'll be here shortly."

I inhaled, nervous about keeping my memories on check and not letting him see "a porno staring his daughter"; something I knew Nessie wouldn't forgive me for. Bella smiled when she saw my nervousness and rolled her eyes at me as she passed beside me to finally greet Ness, who was still surrounded by leeches.

"Relax, I'm the designated shielder."

"Oh my god, thanks Bella."

"I'm not doing this for you… I'm doing it for my Edward."

"Well, thanks anyway."

"Just shut up and stop smiling, it's irritating."

I let out a laugh, provoking her to poke her finger on the sore spot her blow had produced. I winced in pain as she smiled maliciously and finally reached Ness.

A few thousand hugs later, we finally made it out of the terminal and headed to the parking lot. Everyone headed toward Jasper and Carlisle's cars, except for Bella who stopped walking. I realized we all didn't fit in the two cars, so I slowed down and turned to look at Bells, feeling Nessie do the same next to me.

"Mom?"

Bella was standing and looking to the side, so we walked back toward her and stood next to her, looking in the same direction.

"What are you looking at?" – I asked, unable to read her stone-like expression and worrying that maybe something was wrong.

"Your car."

"My what?" – I searched for the rabbit but came up short. When I glanced back at Bella I saw she was holding back a smile as Nessie frowned, also not understanding.

"Your car, Jacob."

I turned to find Edward standing there, the leech was so swift and fast that I didn't even notice him arrive. He was standing next to the opened door of a shiny spectacular jaw dropping fully restored classic 1967 Pontiac GTO. It was aqua blue and had the top down, making it look even better. It was a bit of a shock to see something that I'd only seen in dreams manifest itself physically in front of me, so needless to say, I was speechless.

"Dad, you bought Jacob a car?" – Ness was the first one to break the silence.

"Technically it's for "the Blacks", but yes. No member of this family should drive a beaten down automobile, don't you agree Jacob?"

"I… how did… where… and how did… I…" – I was still in complete shock, but couldn't allow the leech to see me in this state, so I got a hold of myself and was able to complete a sentence.

"How did you know?"

Edward smiled and looked over to Bella, like a little kid who just did something great or got a gold star and wants his mommy's approval.

"One of the nights you stayed at the cottage, I heard your dream; you where dreaming about fixing a car like this… did I get it right?"

"Edward… this is… perfect."

"Good… so, how about a test drive?" – He extended his arm and offered me the keys. I turned to look at Ness, who was radiant, asking for permission like the hopeless codependent fool I am. She smiled and nodded, pushing me with her arm as to give me more motivation.

I got in and turned the ignition, the roar of the car astounding me. I looked over and saw the three of them smiling at me or better yet, at whatever face I had on. Before I could say anything, they all got in, Bella and Edward in the back and Ness up front with me.

"Why don't we head home?" – Edward suggested; I looked through the rearview mirror and saw that he casually leaned back and put his arm around Bella, whispering something in her ear that made her look like she would blush, if she could.

I took in a deep breath and pushed on the gas. My heart was pounding so loudly it was actually embarrassing; I could feel Nessie grinning next to me, but couldn't risk taking my eyes off the road to see her, because I was so afraid of wrecking the gorgeous car.

We arrived at the Cullen's about a million hours later, considering I'd driven like an old lady, and found everyone outside waiting for us.

"So, did he loose it?" – Emmett's loud voice echoed through the forest.

"No, he actually remained considerably calm."

"Aww, damn!" – Emmett put his hand in his pocket and took out a roll of money, tossing it to a smiling Edward. – "Remind me not to bet against you next time."

"Deal."

"So, do you like it? The white leather in the interior was _my_ idea!" – As always, Pixie had to have her hand in _everything_.

"Yeah, I did… I really don't know what to say… thank you." – I looked at Edward and I meant it, because this was beyond great. Not only was Edward giving me the car of my dreams, but with this gift and everyone's obvious involvement and enthusiasm over it, it felt as though they were cementing the fact that I was accepted and a part of the family. Suddenly I felt really glad that Bella was shielding us, because my fuzzy warm thoughts towards the Cullens was _not_ something I wanted divulged, considering I'd never hear the end of it.

"You're very welcomed Jacob."

We were all just standing there, smiling like idiots, and it started to become somewhat awkward, so I knew it was time for our exit. But before I could say anything, as if reading my thoughts, Edward spoke again.

"Well, I'm sure you have some unpacking to do."

"Yep."

"But I want to know about the trip! What about the photos you said you'd show me?"

"I think that can wait Alice… let them settle in first."

"But…"

"No." – The moment Edward spoke that one tiny monosyllabic word, it was done with. Pixie stopped her pouting and whining almost immediately. I don't think I'd ever seen anything like it, not where Pixie is concerned; I'd also never heard Edward speak with such authority. I mean, sure he's always telling others what to do and sure he thinks his opinion is the right one, but he usually leaves some inch of space for debate. Hearing him say "no" in a very soft and yet commanding way, made me realize that like me, he's the natural leader of his coven, even when Carlisle has seniority.

I smiled to myself at the realization, making Pixie think I was smiling at her and provoking her to stick her tongue out at me. Big deal.

Nessie stepped forward and said goodbye to everyone except for Bella and Edward. When she deliberately skipped them, Bella approached her.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to us?"

"Why? Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes, home."

"Well, so are we."

"I know that honey, but you're home is not ours anymore."

My Nessie stopped in her tracks and turned to look at me, as if asking me if this was true. I guess it never occurred to her that once we got married we'd be living by ourselves; it was kind of cute.

"Oh."

"But we're just a phone call away." – Bella looked on the verge of tears, if she could cry anyway. I suddenly felt like the little punch she gave me in the airport didn't cut it, like maybe she needed to _really_ kick my ass to make up for what I was doing to her. If anyone tried to take my Nessie away I'd probably slaughter them, but here was Bella, and Edward for that matter, standing there watching some dog take off with their baby and doing nothing about it. The moment was really unbearable.

"We should get going love." – Edward stepped in, holding his own emotions as to keep Bella's on check. She turned and smiled at his comforting gaze; at least they had each other.

"Yes… ok, well… call me once you get settled in."

Nessie abruptly stepped forward and put her hands on Bella's face. Whatever she was projecting was causing severe emotions from Bella, who just gave Nessie her most amazing smile, the one that reminds me of her when she was human, the one I'm sure just kills Edward.

"I love you Renesmee."

"Me too momma… me too."

After Nessie hugged both Bella and Edward, we got in the car. She waved goodbye to them as we drove off and I couldn't help but feel like a jerk.

"So where are we going?"

"Home."

**Nessie's POV**

"So where are we going?"

"Home."

It was strange to hear that word when the car was headed in the opposite direction of the cottage, the only home I'd ever known.

"And where's that?"

"You'll see."

"Jacob."

"Sorry baby, it's a surprise… in fact, put this on." – He reached into his pocked at pulled out the blindfold they'd given us in the airplane as to be able to sleep. Was he kidding me? I crossed my arms and decided to refuse.

"I am not."

"Oh yes you are."

"I wannna see!"

"You'll get your chance to see, but for now…" – He extended his arm further and pressed the blindfold to my body, egging me to place it over my eyes.

"Fine."

After a few minutes of just driving, I felt a familiar smell and knew we were in La Push. I tried to make out which road we were taking but couldn't, so I decided to just relax and wait. I could hear the waves in the distance and knew we were close to First Beach. My heart started pounding louder, feeling in my gut that we were getting near. And then, Jacob hit the brakes and the car came to a stop.

"Can I take them off now?"

"Hold your horses."

"Jake!"

"Just wait ok… hold on a sec." – He got out of the car and I felt him come over to my side and open the door for me. I got out as he took my hand and blindly lead me to a spot.

"Ok, you can take them off."

I hurried and ripped the blinds off my eyes, focusing them on what was standing in front of me.

It was like something out of a dream, like the kind of place you see in movies but doubt could really exist in real life; a small two story wooden cabin surrounded by trees and overlooking the beach. It wasn't grand or luxurious, if anything I'd describe it as modest, but it was so picturesque, so striking and inviting that it looked straight out of some fairytale.

The wood was all painted antique white, except for the trim around the windows painted olive green. It had a big porch opened up at the front of it, about four steps high and roofed with a wood pergola. A hammock swung on one side, suspended from the wooden pillars supporting the structure. Big tall windows opened up toward the porch, with white drapes visible from the outside. The roof was covered with olive green shingle; it was almost flat on the first floor and very pitched on the second. A fire place with a chimney was visible from the outside, as it stood out like a separate solid element glued to the side of the house.

Next to the precious cabin was a shed, with the same antique white paint job and green shingled roof. It was huge, perfect for working on cars, something I'm sure was a motivation in selecting this house, as well as the perfect view of First Beach.

I turned toward Jacob and saw he was looking at me with curiosity and maybe even a little apprehension.

"How? I mean… when?"

He smiled and moved closer to me.

"I go by this house all the time… a month ago I saw it was for sale but I couldn't really afford it."

"How did you afford it now? You said you didn't want any help from my family."

"It wasn't your family." – He was grinning now, his "Jacob" grin. –"Do you remember that thing with my boss you wanted me to tell you about? I was waiting till this moment to tell you."

I'd completely forgotten about that. For something I'd been really curious about and had begged him to tell me, I sure had forgotten about it quite easily, what with all the wedding plans and then the honeymoon.

"Ok, so tell me."

"I talked to my boss and told him I was getting married and after a long conversation, well, he made me his partner."

"What? Are you kidding? Partner?"

"Yeah, I know! He said he'd been waiting for me to ask him because I practically run the place when he's not around. I guess all this time I thought he'd never go for it, when in fact he wanted me to step up and ask him, how crazy is that?"

"So what does this mean?"

"It means I own half of the shop Ness. I've been saving money since I started working, knowing one day I'd probably need to offer you something…" – Jacob slightly blushed at this and I just wanted to through myself at him, but since I wanted to hear the rest of it, figured we'd have time later on for that.

"… so I saved up enough to buy half of it… well, not _enough_, but close… he was really cool about it and accepted what I had in the promise that I'll pay off the rest by running the shop and taking on some of his responsibilities."

"Wait, so if you gave him all your money, how did you pay for this."

"I took out a loan… having your own business, well, half of it anyway, turns out to be good collateral."

"Jake, I'm really blown away."

"Do you like it? It's not exactly what you're used to but…"

"It's better."

"Yeah?"

"Definitely."

"You wanna go inside?"

I nodded and before I knew it, he picked me up and started carrying me toward the door.

"We need to do this properly."

I giggled and relaxed in his arms, as he carried me inside like a bride. The moment we made it through the door the first thing that struck me was the smell. For some reason, even though I don't think he spent that much time in here, it had Jake's scent. Immediately I loved the house, because it reminded me of the way Jacob's room in Billy's house used to smell, back when he didn't stay over every night with me. I was suddenly brought back to earlier times, when I was just a kid and then a young teenager, of how I used to sneak into his room when he wasn't around and just inhale his scent, the scent that seemed so comforting and familiar even when I wasn't already _in love_ with him.

"What are you thinking?"- Jacob set me down and it was until then that I was able to see the interior. I wasn't able to answer his question, not when I was spellbound by what I was seeing.

The entire first floor was the social area, all of it lit up by the various tall windows disposed on all sides of the house. It was fully furnished, something I certainly didn't expect. All the furniture looked comfy and casual, white being the main color but accented by Native American quilts and throws. Upon entering was the living room adjacent to a study, all in one big open space; to the side of the living room was a flight of stairs with a little nuke underneath that had a stone slab with cushions and pillows, perfect for hiding out and reading. The fireplace served as the visual center of the living room, making the space look even homier. I absentmindedly started walking around, taking in every detail, and made my way toward the kitchen and dining area. It was rustic and worn, like the kind of kitchen you'd find in a farm house or something, with a breathtaking view of the ocean. The roof for this space was also a wood structure, but instead of the wood panels and exterior green shingle, the spaces between beams had glass in them, making the entire area seem opened to the forest. I could just imagine the way the sunrise would look from this room and couldn't wait for it.

"So? You're killing me Ness, say something."

"When did you do all this? The furniture, the paintings on the walls, the antiques, the lamps and flowers and candles… I mean, how?"

Jake smiled sheepishly and looked around before answering.

"What did you think I did all those times you were tortured by Pixie over wedding plans?"

"You said you were with your pack."

"And I didn't lie; I _was_ with them, only I was here fixing the place. They helped me out." – He looked severely pleased with himself and again I wanted to rip his clothes off.

"Can I go upstairs?"

"It's your house."

I giggled and practically sprinted toward the second floor. It was small, consisting only of one master bedroom, a spare room and two bathrooms. Since we were on the second floor, the walls were basically part of the pitched roof, so they were all inclined making for a really quaint effect. They had openings in them in the form of windows that let the soft afternoon light enter the space and warm it up. I took a deep breath and went into the master bedroom, finding that if I'd designed and decorated the room myself, this was exactly what I would have done.

Again the room smelled like Jacob, automatically seeming appealing to me; but that wasn't what struck me the most, what struck me was how familiar the space seemed, like I'd lived here all my life. I walked in and looked around, feeling Jacob standing by the door watching me.

The master bedroom was just at the center of the house, were the two roof walls converged. Jacob had placed a king size bed underneath this point, giving it a certain magnificent presence. The huge wood beams that held up the roof framed the bed and as I got closer I saw that this part of the roof also had window openings on it, so that if you were lying in bed you could look up directly out into the sky.

There were black and white pictures everywhere, of my family, of Jacob's, of the pack, even a picture of my mom and dad back when she was still human and one of Jacob as a little kid, with his mom by his side. I swallowed back the lump in my throat and blinked back tears, afraid that if I started crying he might think I didn't like it.

So I turned from the photographs, unable to keep staring at the people that made up the happiness of my life, and focused on the room. There were little details everywhere, things I'd given Jacob as birthday presents, things we'd collected together like sea shells and rocks, dressers and arm chairs from Billy's house, a couple of my favorite paintings from the cottage. The list goes on and on.

Jacob never left the door frame, keeping his eyes on me as I made my way through the room. I walked over to the bathroom and even though it was small, smaller than the guest bathroom in the "big house", it was lovelier than I could possibly say. Everything in it seemed antique, even the big white bathtub that stood at the center, like a single bowl neatly placed underneath the rustic roof.

I came out of the bathroom and leaned against the wall, looking at Jacob who was still silent. He finally moved from the door frame and walked over to me, taking my hand and pressing it to his cheek. I smiled and projected what I thought.

"Really?" – He opened his eyes when I was done projecting and searched mine.

"It's perfect."

"Are you sure, cuz if you don't like something we can change it."

"I love _everything_."

"Good, because this is my wedding gift to you."

"I thought you gave me your wedding gift on the honeymoon." – I wiggled my eyebrows at him and made him burst out in laughter.

"No baby; that was your wedding gift to _me_."

We both laughed and stayed leaning against the wall, relaxed despite all the potentially horrible things lingering in the air, like the Volturi.

After a while I realized it had gotten dark but I wasn't sleepy, not when I'd slept almost the entire flight over here. Jacob looked out the window as well when the sun had come down completely.

"Are you tired?"

"Not really."

He looked down and bit his lip, killing me instantaneously and revealing just with that simple gesture exactly what was on his mind; not that I wasn't right there with him, thinking and wanting the same. So I waited for him to make his move.

"Um… you want to watch TV?"

I silently shook my head.

"You want to try out the kitchen?"

Again, I shook my head.

"You… want to try out the bed?"

I smiled and nodded, as he came closer and took my face in both his hands.

"Nessie…"

"Yes?"

"We're home."

After that we didn't talk much; and spent our first night in our new house, our new home.

RING. RING.

I felt Jacob shift under me and extend his arm toward the nightstand where he'd placed his cell phone. My head was resting on his chest and my arms were wrapped around him, not giving him much freedom to reach for it.

RING. RING.

He moved even more, causing me to protest at this; I wanted to keep him here, with me, forever.

"Babe, I have to answer."

"Fine."

I rolled over to my side, turning my back to him as I heard him sit up and answer.

"Hello?"

"_Jacob?"_

I immediately turned back upon recognizing Emily on the other line. Jacob looked at me with more than a little surprise on his face. We hadn't really heard anything from Emily since she moved away, figuring she probably wanted to stay away from anything that reminded her of Sam.

"Em? How… how are you? Is everything alright?"

"_Yes Jacob, everything is fine… well, more than fine."_ – She sounded cheerful, like her old self. Something was really off.

"What do you mean?" – Jacob was frowning now and I could tell he was apprehensive about her cheerfulness as well.

"_I have some news I wanted to share with you."_

"Ok."

"_I'm… I'm pregnant."_

Jacob almost dropped the phone as I immediately sat up. His eyes were wide in shock. I covered my mouth with my hands, unable to say or think anything. After a few seconds of just staring at each other in surprise, Jacob got a hold of himself and spoke back.

"What did you say?"

"_I'm pregnant."_

"Pregnant? But… I don't… how?"

Emily laughed at Jacob's fumbling words and again we were both shocked at the sound.

"_It's Sam's… I found out yesterday. Jacob, you have no idea how this news has changed me. A week ago I was considering suicide and now… I'm happy. He never left me, ever… and he never will… I'm carrying a part of him right now, in me, growing and growing."_

"Wow Em… that's amazing."

"_It's a blessing. We tried having kids for so long and who knew that we'd succeed, right before…"_ – Her voice cut off and I felt a terrible stomach ache, because no matter how happy she is about being pregnant, it could never replace Sam.

"Em, congratulations… that's great news, thank you for sharing it with us."

"_You're my family… you were part of Sam's life, I wanted to share it with you."_

"You have no idea how happy this makes me Em, to hear you so at peace. I know Sam would have wanted this, for you to have something to live for."

"_Yes… for our baby."_

I was smiling from ear to ear, because I knew things would eventually work out, I knew Emily would not be left alone in the dark. Jacob entwined his fingers with mine and smiled at me, with relief visible on his face.

"Will you send us some photos once your tummy starts growing?"

"_Of course… well, I have a lot of phone calls to make so… we'll keep in touch, say hi to Nessie for me, I love you both."_

"Yeah, we love you too Emily and again… congratulations."

Jacob hung up the phone and threw himself back in a lying position.

"Oh my god! Can you believe this?"

"It's wonderful!" – I lay back down as well, next to him.

"Man, she sounded so happy… I didn't think I'd ever hear her sound like that again."

"Me either."

He turned over on his side to look at me and took my face in one of his hands.

"Everything is turning out fine."

"You see? I told you we needed to have hope."

We started kissing and again my passion for him started flaring. He got on top of me, supporting his weight with his hands, as we continued to kiss and I began to pull his boxers down.

DING. DONG.

"What now?" – He pulled back from me and turned his head toward the sound of our new doorbell.

"It's nothing… let's not get it." – I pulled him back toward me but again the bell rang.

"Let me just see who it is."

"No… Jacob."

He laughed as he got off me and walked to the window that faced the front of the house.

"Hey man! Answer the freaking door!"

I recognized Quil's voice and also smelled Embry, Leah, Seth, Collin, Brady and Jared. Everyone in Jacob's pack except for Paul, who I'm sure we wouldn't miss.

"Be right down." – Jacob turned from the window and shrugged his shoulders, as in "what can we do?"

"Sorry baby, guess this will have to wait."

I sat up and kneeled on the side of the bed, stretching my hands toward him. He smiled and walked over to me.

"We can be quick." – What the hell had gotten into me? All I knew was that I wanted Jacob, desperately, and he looked so good, with his boxers sitting low on his hips and his hair all disheveled from just having woken up, that I couldn't let a bunch of wolves interfere with my wishes.

He shushed me and pressed his face closer to mine; whispering so low no one else could hear it.

"Sshh, they'll hear you."

"We can be quiet too." – I whispered back.

"Ness, you know I want to, but they're all standing right outside."

"So what, make them wait… it's rude to visit without calling first anyway."

He shook his head at me and sweetly kissed me. I inhaled his scent but before I could deepen the kiss, he pulled back.

"Although you have no idea how tempting this is, we can't. But I promise I'll make it up to you." – He gave me his devilish sexy smile and I couldn't help but cave in.

"Fine."

Jacob threw on a pair of shorts as I put on my robe. They'd all seen me in pajamas various times, but for some reason today it felt far too intimate, like that was something only Jacob from now on had a privilege to see.

We came down and Jacob opened the door.

"Finally! What took you so long?" – Quil came in and punched Jacob before sweeping me off my feet and giving me a bear hug.

One by one they all came in, happily greeting us. Pretty soon I forgot about wanting to leave them outside and we all began to talk about the honeymoon. I showed them pictures on my digital camera and we told them about all the fun things we got to do, leaving out the obvious intimate details.

"I still think Disneyland would have been better." – Quil tried to look sulky and instead ended up looking hilarious, causing all of us to laugh.

As we were all laughing, I caught Embry giving Jacob a look. At first I wasn't sure what it was about, until I realized Leah was observing the exchange as well and looked extremely nervous. Then it hit me, they wanted Jacob to break the news of their imprint. Suddenly I was nervous too, because I had no idea how the news would be received.

"Um, listen… now that you're all here, I'd like to take the time to first, thank you for helping me out with the house, Nessie really loved it."

Everyone cheered and smiled at me, except for Embry and Leah who both looked like they were about to vomit.

"And second, I have some news to share with you. First of all, as the alpha of this pack, I'm asking all of you to let the news sink in before opening your mouths and saying something you might regret later."

"What is this about?" – Jared looked concerned, as well as everyone else, upon hearing Jacob speak in such a serious tone.

"It's something good, a blessing, so I don't want any overreacting, got it?"

Everyone nodded and a few "sures" were uttered. I took in a deep breath as Jacob looked at me for encouragement.

"Some time ago, around the time Sam passed away, Embry imprinted on Leah."

I hadn't expected him to blurt it out just like that, not beating around the bush even a little bit. I turned to find that they were all gaping.

"Very funny." – Quil was the first one to speak, obviously not buying it. The others relaxed a bit at this until Jake spoke again.

"I'm not kidding, they imprinted on each other."

This time everyone turned toward Leah and Embry, who to prove a point or just out of habit, held hands. Everyone's eyes popped open at this, turning from Leah to Embry to Jacob and back to Leah.

"Ok, you're joking right, this is some elaborate joke!" – Quil got up from the couch as to better face the "accused".

"No, it's not." – Embry held Leah's hand tighter, making her smile a bit.

"How? How come you didn't tell me?"

"I'm sorry Quil, I guess we were both nervous about it."

"This doesn't make any sense, you imprint the first time you make eye contact with your soul mate… you two have seen each other since forever." – Jared was standing up now too, looking at both of them with an inquisitive stare.

"Leah was under a spell… something like a love spell for Sam, it wasn't until he passed away that she was free to imprint or be imprinted on."

"I've never heard anything like that before." – Jared seemed put-off by some reason.

"Well, it's true."

"God, this changes everything, doesn't it? I mean, you two knew each other, spent a lot of time together and didn't feel anything for the other until you imprinted… do you see what this means?, we all love our imprints because of the imprint, because of the magical bind, but not because we were always meant to love them, not because they're our perfect match, because if that were true you'd both fallen in love before imprinting!"

I felt like someone had punched me in the gut. All the others looked like that too. Could what Jared was saying be true? If so, than Jacob really didn't love me, he was just forced to. Was I forced to love him as well? Would I still love him without the imprinting? I started feeling sick to my stomach and I could tell Quil felt the same; were we living a lie?

"That's not true Jared… Ness…" – Jacob's eyes looked apprehensive toward mine, as if he could read what I was thinking, as if he knew I'd come to the horrible conclusion that without magic he would still love mom, that he wouldn't have preferred me.

"Will you all please get a grip?" – Embry stood up and looked incredulous at all of our panicked faces. – "Jeesh, talk about overreacting! You don't know the whole story… I… I had a crush on Leah, a big one, before imprinting."

"Oh come on, are you serious?" – Quil looked like he was about to get really angry, but Embry remained calm and kept talking.

"Yes, I never told anyone because I didn't want to get made fun off, so I hid my thoughts from you guys and from Leah as well. I thought I was being a fool, because not only was she mean to me, but she was still in love with Sam and I hadn't imprinted, which in my head meant she wasn't the one; so I didn't pursue it, even though something drew me to her."

"And I couldn't feel it, because of the spell I was under, but I did like spending time with him and listening in on his thoughts… I guess that's why I was especially mean to him, because I couldn't understand certain feelings I had for him and it just pissed me off."

"Ok? So you get it now? Under normal circumstances we would have probably started dating or something. It's like before imprinting you have a veil over your eyes, like most humans who have trouble recognizing "the one", but when you imprint you just get it, you see the truth. That's what happened, so please don't go ballistic on us and don't freak out." – Embry was mostly looking at Jared, Quil, Jacob and I, the only ones in the pack who had already imprinted. This whole horrible assumption hadn't rattled the rest "unimprinted" ones nearly as much.

"So you liked each other?" – Jared was asking for confirmation, looking just about ready to drop the awful conclusion he'd reached a minute ago.

"Yes." – They answered in unison.

"Damm, I almost lost it right there… sorry."

"Me too." – Quil agreed.

"Me three." – I felt my face flush with embarrassment. The first thing Jacob had said was "not to overreact" and it ended up being the first thing I did, the funny part being that unlike the others, I had already known the news.

"So you really did imprint?"- Seth was smiling his goofball smile at Leah, and I could tell he was relieved at this, probably having worried in the past that she would never find love.

"Yes."

Seth was the first one to break the tension and practically threw himself at Leah and then at Embry to hug them. Collin and Brady followed and pretty soon everyone was hugging and congratulating them.

"So is it safe to say you'll be nicer now?" – The second Quil said it; Leah punched him in the stomach.

"Nicer to Embry, _not_ you guys."

"Fair enough." – Quil's voice came out high pitched and strained, as he bent over from the pain of Leah's blow. We couldn't help but laugh at the way his voice sounded and the face he made.

After we were all done congratulating and sharing each other's thoughts and reactions to the news, Jared got serious and turned to Jacob.

"Jacob, we should set some ground rules."

"Yeah, you're right. I don't think the two of you should run patrols together; for one, I think listening in on your thoughts about each other would be fairly awkward for the rest of us, and secondly, if danger comes, it's best if you handle it apart, cuz we don't want you to get killed over each other."

"That's not fair Jacob!"

"Yes it is Leah; you'll take turns running patrols: that's it, no discussion."

"Let it go baby." – Embry spoke so sweetly to Leah that everyone turned to see. She blushed slightly at the attention they were getting but merely nodded and spoke no more. Wow, I never thought I'd see the day when _anyone_, let alone a _guy_, would make her stand down from a discussion.

Everyone suppressed laughing at this and before we knew it, they were all heading out the door. I stood in the frame and waved them goodbye.

As soon as I closed the door, Jacob came up behind me, placing his big hands on my tummy and caressing it softly.

"Still in the mood?" – He whispered into my ear. When was I _not_ in the mood? _That_ was the question.

I turned around and we began kissing. I could hear Jacob's heart rate getting faster and faster, making my own go insane. He wickedly smiled and pushed me against the front door, pressing his body against me so that all his heat radiated toward me. He had his hands inside my pajama top and was cupping my breasts in his hands. I was just about to begin unzipping his shorts when again… the door bell rang.

"Shit… who is it now?" – He moved his face from mine and peeked out through the peephole on the door. He then inhaled and exhaled loudly, taking his hands away from my body.

"Who?"

"Your family."

I could barely speak; talk about bad timing. My breathing was still ragged and so was Jacob's, something I couldn't allow any of them to notice, if they hadn't already heard us through the door. Dammit, the downside to enhanced senses.

I inhaled as well and regulated my breathing, taking a step from the door and opening it.

Mom, dad, grandpa and Alice were standing there. Thankfully Emmett, who's known for his inappropriate jokes, and Jasper, who would have sensed our mood a mile away, were not present. Automatically I relaxed; knowing mom would be shielding Jacob and me from now on.

"Hello darling, may we come in?"

"Yeah, sure."

We all greeted each other and after giving them a tour of the house, we settled in the living room. I was nervous about what they had to say, guessing it probably had to do with the Volturi issue.

"Just let us have it Edward." – Jacob sat next to me and closed his hand around mine. It wasn't dad but Alice who answered.

"We have new information. All this time I hadn't been able to "see" the Volturi, like they they've been blocking me somehow, but that didn't stop me from trying and trying… so finally, I few days ago out of the blue, I had a vision. It was small, but the information I saw was later confirmed by Dr. Krauss."

"My friend in Germany." – Grandpa interjected.

"What did you see?" – Jacob seemed afraid to ask.

"I saw the Volturi and the werewolves, here, in Forks, in the forest near our house. Aro was there, along with the rest of them and even the royal guard. He spoke to the werewolves, he gave them an order: "_portami il dominante_". And that was all I could see."

Even with my slim knowledge of Italian, I knew what the order meant; it meant "bring me the alpha". My insides were churning from anxiety and angst. They could go after anyone, but not my Jacob.

"How was that later confirmed by Dr. Krauss." – Jacob remained calm and business-like, probably for my sake. Grandpa was the one to answer.

"I've known Dietrich Krauss for many years; he actually lived with the Volturi around the time that I stayed with them, but unlike me, he didn't part ways with them because he disapproved of their ideals, but because he wanted to travel and be free. This is why he is still in their good graces, especially with Marcus. He's an expert on genetic science, so I asked him to help me with this whole werewolf business, as you already know. Upon uncovering that the Volturi were possibly behind this, much to his own personal risk, he dug around until Marcus revealed to him the truth."

"Which is?"

"That they sent those things down here to collect a "specimen". According to Dietrich, Marcus did not mention their "side plan" to murder us, he simply stated that they'd found a very interesting creature near Forks and that they wanted him."

"I don't get it, why would they want me?"

"Marcus told Dietrich that they were fascinated by the fact that the "creature" was inherently built to combat vampires, apparently the Volturi consider this something they could study and maybe use against vampire enemies; do you recall the words "guard dogs"?"

I don't know if Jacob did, but I certainly recall those words. I remember feeling offended even back then when Aro had implied he would like to train and keep the wolves as guard dogs.

"But they already have the werewolves they created; they already managed to build "guard dogs"." – I protested, like somehow this would change the fact that they were after my husband.

"Yes Nessie, but they seem to think that the "key ingredient" to perfect their creation lies in Jacob…. but that's not all. Aro, being the curious man he is, was especially interested in… well… your imprint."

"What?" – Jacob and I spoke at the same time.

"As you may recall, Marcus' "gift" is to see the ties and alliances between people. He spoke to Dietrich about being witness to a bond stronger than any he'd ever seen before, impenetrable. He didn't elaborate much further to Dietrich, but I can deduce that he was referring to you." – Grandpa looked at both of us, with a frown of worry visible on his forehead.

"I'm afraid Aro is fascinated by the bond Marcus witnessed. I have no idea what his twisted brain is thinking, but what I do know is he wants you, both of you."

I felt Jacob squeeze my hand tighter, but not even his warm touch was enough to soothe me. I felt a huge pain in the pit of my stomach as well as little voice whispering into my brain: "your dream will come true, your dream will come true." As I sat there, envisioning the end, dad spoke.

"Neither one of you should worry about this; we will protect you, to the end."

Mom nodded in agreement and it was until then that I realized dad was holding her hand tightly, just like Jacob was holding mine. I felt like crying but couldn't, felt like screaming but couldn't, felt like running away, but knew that was impossible, not when the Volturi had centuries of knowledge ahead of me and could easily find me.

"Yes, Edward is right, we will protect you. Five years ago the Volturi encountered something they had never encountered before, a possible match. We ourselves were surprised by this, but I guess fate works in mysterious ways." – Grandpa glanced at mom with loving eyes. – "This time around, I guarantee you, they will not encounter a "possible match", they will "meet their match". It is time to end this, once and for all."

Even though he sounded confident, I couldn't shake from my brain the fact that "they are the _Volturi_". As much as we were able to hold our own years ago, would we actually come out victorious in a real life battle? Were we being fools by underestimating their power? Or had we built up their power in our heads to a much greater spectrum than the actual one? Had no one ever defeated them more because of their reputation than their actual supremacy? I didn't know, all I knew was, Jacob's life depended on those answers.

"When? When did you see this happen?" – Jacob's voice was hoarse as he referred to Alice. She hesitated but then answered, not looking at either one of us.

"There was a full moon."

I frantically glanced at the calendar Jacob had hung on the kitchen wall, my heart pounding at the expectation of uncovering when this horrible event would take place, hoping to have more time with Jacob before it could all possibly end. So there it was, the full moon drawing on Thursday… two days from now.

**I'm sure that by now probably no one is reading my story, what with all the time I took to update jajaja But for those of you who are still interested, I hope you like this long chapter and I sincerely hope you stick around and leave your reviews. Thank you for your support!**


	32. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters; I'm just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement intended. **

**Chapter 31**

**Jacob's POV**

Déjà Vu doesn't begin to explain it, but it's the only way I can. I felt like I was reliving the horrible events that took place five years ago. The Cullen house was quickly filled with leeches, the same smelly leeches that had graced us with their presence the last time we faced the Volturi. So needless to say, I stayed far _far_ away from that place.

We spent the entire Wednesday afternoon at the clearing, the Cullens and my pack, practicing fight maneuvers and combinations with the help of Jasper's training. Just like five years ago, I had everything riding on my performance and everything to lose. Nessie's face was present every second of every moment of our short but hopefully effective training. I couldn't let the Volturi get their hands on her, I'd die first.

The tension was evident in everyone, even in the leeches who tend to keep a straight face. It was all a nightmare, my pack on the one hand was stressing out, having just suffered a great loss at the hands of the werewolves. The leeches were all still very much afraid of the Volturi. And Nessie, my Nessie, kept obsessing about the dream she'd had, convinced it was some sort of premonition.

"Morning". – The greeting was supposed to be cheerful, even though it came out of her in a sad tone. It was around 10am; we'd all gone hunting the night before, as to be strong for today, and had gotten to bed pretty late.

"Morning baby… did you sleep?"

Her eyes looked tired and her skin pale. I sat up on the bed and took her face in my hands.

"Yes."

"Ness…"

"Ok, fine, I didn't… but how could I? It's today already."

"Everything will be alright."

"How can you know that?"

"I don't know, but weren't you the one who said we needed to have hope?"

She closed her eyes and nodded, not completely convinced but close enough.

"You need to sleep baby… if… if this thing goes bad, I want you alert and strong."

"What for?"

"So you can run away… fast."

"No Jacob… please don't ask me to do that."

"I'm not asking… I'm telling."

"Jake…"

"Listen to me Nessie, you'll do as I say; if anything happens, you need to be the first one out of here; you already promised me you'd do this, after our first encounter with the werewolves."

"That was before… I… I can't."

"You can and you will. A promise is as promise, Ness."

She didn't answer and I knew not to push her, not when she looked so worn and tired. Every ounce of me wanted to run away, to take her and hide her so no one could ever get to her, disappear into the unknown and never be heard from again; but that wasn't the answer, that wasn't the courageous or even smart thing to do, because they'd find us, eventually. No, we needed to confront this, head on, win or lose.

"You have to sleep, ok?"

For some reason her eyes filled with tears, each one stabbing me straight through the heart.

"Come here." – I took her in my arms and lay back down, with her body resting on top of me. I wrapped my arms securely around her and kissed her sweet forehead, remembering how simple it used to be to comfort her when she was a child and hoping to do it the same way now. So I began humming her favorite Quileute lullaby as she settled more comfortably on me and began to breathe deeper and deeper until I knew she'd fallen asleep.

I had about a million things to do; we were supposed to get together with the Cullens again this morning to run through formations and last minute strategies, but somehow this seemed more important. So I also settled into the sheets and turned off my phone, closing my eyes and appreciating every second that I had Nessie in my arms; peaceful, content and _alive_.

Ness woke up around four, looking fairly refreshed and energetic. She stayed laying on top of me, running her fingers over the planes of my face and smiling at me, not her usual blissfully happy smile but still the most beautiful smile ever.

"How do you feel?"

"Rested and… optimistic."

"Good."

"Didn't you have to go keep practicing today?"

"No, I had to stay here."

She smiled again, this time wider, filling my heart with joy and love amidst the turmoil and anguish lurking around it.

"I'm surprised no one came looking for you."

"I'm sure they knew we needed some time together, alone."

"You don't want to go keep training?"

"I don't see how last minute training is going to make me any better than I already am… I'll just get tired and worn… what I need now is to be with you."

She pulled herself closer to my face and sweetly kissed me. I savored every drop of her, every second of her lips tangled with mine and every breath. Just one kiss from her was worth dying for; just one smile was worth fighting to the death for. I knew what I had to do, fight and keep fighting to keep the Volturi away from her, the only problem was, I was afraid. Not afraid of dying but afraid of failing.

Suddenly, she abruptly pulled away from me and I saw tears streaming down her cheeks, a response to my kissing that I hadn't quite seen before.

"What's wrong?"

"I… I can't let you go Jake… please don't make me… stay with me, let the others fight."

Her words came as a startling shock to me, because she had never been the kind to ask me for something like that. Bella maybe had been like that with Edward, but not my Nessie. She understood who and what I was, and was never the kind to get in the way of that. She had never once before asked me to step down from a fight.

I sat up making her sit up as well and began wiping away her tears.

"Nessie, you know I can't do that."

"Why not? Yes you can, let them handle it and stay with me, away from harm and danger."

"Ness, I can't ask my pack to risk their lives for us if I'm not even fighting alongside them."

"I don't care, give them the order, I know it's selfish, but I couldn't bear what happened to Emily."

"That's not going to happen, I promise."

"That's not something you can promise Jake."

"Listen to me Nessie, those things caught us off guard that time, this time we have a large group of freaking bloodsuckers, a pack of wolves and forsight."

"Yes, but this time the Volturi are here, with their entire guard! We're outnumbered!"

I could tell she was panicking now, something she hadn't done this whole time. I wasn't feeling too confident about that either, but racked my brain to find a rationalization to calm her.

"Ness… there's a reason why they made those things, they made them so they could do their dirty work for them… they won't openly fight with us for no good reason, that would completely bring down their credibility." – The second I heard myself say it, I believed it. Something in my gut told me that they would simply watch from the side lines, that this battle would be easier than imagined. Either that or I was being naive and overconfident.

Thankfully, my words seemed to soothe her, at least enough so that she stopped yelling and breathing hard.

"You think?" – Her voice came out small, almost a whisper.

"Yeah, I do."

She pressed her face to my neck, as if she was trying to hide there, and wrapped her arms around my waist.

"Ness…"

She looked up at me though watery eyes. I had a hard time speaking after seeing the look on her face, but pushed through.

"I need you to be brave ok? I need… I need you to keep yourself strong and hopeful and calm."

Immediately, as if I were giving her an alpha order, her features rearranged themselves and she blinked back the tears, breathing in and holding her breath as she calmed herself down. To this day, it was still amazing to me the effect I have on her, how one simple request of mine could turn her mood upside down.

She simply nodded and took my face in her hands, kissing me again. We kissed for the longest time, each one finding the strength to go through with this in each other's lips.

"Jake?" – She whispered, her voice soft, like a child's.

"Yes?"

"I don't know if this is a good idea… because you have to keep alert and all, but… "– She pulled back and searched my eyes. – "because this could be… the… the last time… I…"

I understood what she was asking; she was asking me to make love to her. For some reason, my stomach began to ache at the thought that maybe she was right, that maybe this would really be the last time. The idea was so unbearable and inconceivable that there was no way I could entertain it for more than two seconds. She continued searching my eyes for the answer, as if I'd be insane enough to pass it up like some moron athlete who wants to be clear-headed for a big game.

So because at the moment I really couldn't speak, I just nodded and pulled her face back toward mine. There was something urgent and desperate in the way we kissed, like we were both starving and were offered a meal, but had to eat it fast before it was taken away.

She was wearing a nightgown and no underwear, so I easily slipped it off her body and pulled her closer to me. At this point we'd gone from a sitting position to kneeling on the bed, one in front of the other. Her skin was so soft and warm that it was actually painful to feel it next to mine, like fire bolts striking me every time our bare skin touched. She ran her hands down the length of my torso all the way to my boxers, as I took hold of her back thighs and softly caressed them.

Somehow I was able to tear off my boxers and pulled her to me, taking a seating position on the bed, with my head supported on the frame, as she placed herself on top of me. She was so beautiful it was hard to look at her and not go berserk. Feeling her this close was always a shock, was always more than I could handle; I didn't deserve this happiness, didn't deserve to have the most amazing woman on the planet wanting me the way I want her and certainly didn't deserve to make love to her in this or any way. I smelled her hair as she pulled herself closer so I could better kiss her neck, becoming intoxicated by her delicious scent that always seemed to magnify itself when we made love.

She began to move against me, causing me to, as always, loose my grip on reality. I pulled back from her neck so I could see her; she smiled and ran her fingers through my hair, with her eyes fixed on mine, with nothing but pure love and adoration reflected on them. The sheer intensity of her stare was enough to crush me, but somehow it didn't; I remained there, in the blissful moment, completely aware of the greatness and magnitude of what I was living. There was no way in hell that I was letting anything happen to her, no way that any fucking leech would get its hands on her, no way that any harm or danger would touch her. I wrapped my arms around her, feeling as if I'd never be able to loosen my grip; good thing that for now I wouldn't have to.

We made love for who knows how long, but somehow, not long enough. When we were done, the pressure that had been oppressing my heart before came back again, reminding me that this could be it, that this could be the last time I got to have her this close.

Her skin was glowing with sweat as she rearranged herself so that she was lying beside me, with her arms wrapped around me and her eyes never leaving mine. I kissed her forehead, her eyes, her lips and cheeks, every surface of her perfect face, feeling how it spread into a smile underneath my lips as I did this.

"Thank you."

"What for?" – She looked amused at my words, an expression I hadn't seen in her since we found out about the Volturi attack, but had sorely missed.

"For this… for being alive… for choosing me… for loving me… for saving me."

"Jake…"

"Yes."

"Stay alive… please." – Without another word, she got up and threw her nightgown back on, sitting on the edge of the bed and not looking back at me. I knew she was silently crying, but before I could say something, comfort her, promise her I _would_, the house phone rang.

"Yeah?"

"Is your phone dead?"

"No, I turned it off, what do you want?"

"Get over here, it's almost time." – Emmett sounded serious, completely unlike him. Just the sound of his solemn tone gave me chills and filled me with dread. I looked over to Ness, who was looking back upon hearing her uncle on the other line; and even though there were tears in her eyes, she had a determined look on them, as if she'd found the strength to go through this, to let me go and allow me to fight. I took in a deep breath, letting the air full of her scent cleanse my body of all fears.

"Ok, we'll be right there."

**Nessie's POV**

We silently drove toward the big house. Neither one of us spoke. The sun was slowly descending as the sky began to fill with dark clouds. If I didn't know any better, I'd think it was going to rain, but Aunt Alice hadn't seen rain in her vision, so I knew not to expect it.

We arrived and suddenly everything began to move in slow motion, like some sort of horrible dream. Outside the house were all my vampire friends and family and in the woods, just far enough so that the stink wouldn't offend them, Jacob's pack already in wolf form stood in formation.

The second we got out of the car, dad and Uncle Jasper approached Jacob. A wolf came out from the woods and stood next to him, facing my dad and uncle. From the wolf's form, color and smell, I knew it was Leah. Jacob casually dropped his hand and patted the top of her head, as if telling her to "be at ease", something she _never_ was around vampires.

Mom came over and took my hand, her coolness reassuring me in a way only a mother's touch could, but still not enough to calm me.

"So what's going on?"

"We sent a reconnaissance team to scout the surroundings… they're almost here." – Dad didn't look scared at all, even though his voice was grave.

"So the plan stays the same?"

"Yes, the first group will ambush and kill the werewolves while the second will stand guard against the Volturi, if they make a move, we make a move."

"Ok… anything else we should go over?"

"Yes, tell your pack to avoid any movement or gesture that might acknowledge you as the alpha… we want to keep them guessing and therefore sidetrack them as much as possible, the confusion will help our strategy." – Uncle Jasper as always had his eye on the ball and was thinking like a true tactical warrior.

"Got it."

Suddenly, we all heard a howl in the distance and turned toward the forest, realizing they were here. My insides ached at the sound, knowing it was time.

Swiftly, the two groups formed. In the first one were half of Jacob's pack, Embry, Seth, Collin and Brady, including Jake himself; as well as a small group of vampires, Rosalie, Kate, Garret and Tanya.

On the second group there was Leah, Quil, Paul and Jared and the majority and rest of the vampires, including dad, grandpa, Jasper, Emmett and Alice, as well as the key ingredient, mom. This group was needed to be the strongest, considering in the event of a fight, they'd have to stand against the whole Volturi clan and their guard.

Grandma and Carmen decided to stay with me. Because the big house is so easily recognizable and is filled with vampire scent, I would be taken to Billy's cabin for more safety.

Before I knew what hit me, it was time to say goodbye. One by one, all my family and vampire friends said goodbye to me. It was all a haze of familiar faces, all of them telling me they loved me and would keep me safe, words that instead of comforting me made me want to throw up. After their goodbyes they all started moving toward the woods, leaving me alone with dad, mom and Jake.

Mom was the first one to step forward and tightly hug me.

"Renesmee… I love you more than life itself; you're my baby girl… I want you to know that I loved you from the first moment I felt you in me, that I'm immensely proud of you and that you are worth everything. Stay calm and trust us, because I know in my heart we'll come out victorious, I know it because fate has lead us to this place; until now everything has happened for a reason, the pieces of the puzzle have magically fit so that we could all find happiness, therefore I know that there's no way this was all done for nothing. Do you understand?"

"Yes momma… I love you, please be safe."

"I will… and I'll keep everyone else safe too."

Mom was designated to shield everyone, and when I say everyone, I don't just mean the group standing up to the Volturi, but also the one fighting the werewolves, in case any of the "gifted" Volturi tried anything against them.

She hugged me again and stepped aside so that dad could say goodbye.

"Stay safe Nessie… we'll come for you, I promise."

"Dad?" – I hugged him tighter but pulled my face back so I could make eye contact. I have no idea what my face looked like, because his features contorted like he was on the verge of tears, if he could cry.

"Dad… please… I… I beg you… take care of him." – I felt like I was begging for my life, which would be correct to say since Jacob's life is mine as well. I knew dad had to go keep watch of the Volturi, I knew that asking this of him meant he'd have to separate from mom to go fight with Jacob, I knew I was being unreasonable and changing tactics that were already set; but at that moment, with Jacob standing there and about to leave possibly to his death, I really didn't care. I didn't care if I was selfish or foolish or anything, I just wanted Jake back alive and well.

Dad looked over to mom with more than a little apprehension, but then turned to me and smiled. I could tell this pained him; walking away from protecting his love for protecting mine.

"I'll bring him back… I promise."

I looked over to Jake, thinking he'd protest at this, that he'd tell me not to change plans at the last minute, that he'd refuse to have dad protecting him like he was some sort of invalid, but he said nothing.

He was looking at the ground, his eyes far away. He was so caught up in his thoughts that apparently he'd heard nothing.

"We should catch up with the others." – Dad spoke out loud, bringing Jake out of his trance. When Jake looked up I was crushed by his expression, my insides twisted with anguish at the mere sight of his distraught face.

He silently nodded to dad and came over to me. Unlike dad, who's really good at keeping his emotions on check, Jacob always wears his heart on his sleeve and can let his emotions get the best of him. His entire body was shaking, something he'd mastered a long time ago when controlling his phasing, and something that told me he was losing it. I suddenly worried about his performance in the fight; I worried that he might be thinking of me and that that might distract him.

I held my breath once he got close enough. I couldn't bear to say goodbye to him, just couldn't. My eyes were already filling with tears and my heart was pounding out of my chest. He leaned down and hugged me, pressing me so tightly to his chest that he would have already killed me if I were completely human. I buried my face in his neck and breathed in his scent as he pressed me harder to him, clutching me tightly with his big strong hands. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck, like a child who holds on to a parent when they're taken away. There was no way in hell anyone was prying me from his arms; here, everything felt safe and perfect, with his heat encircling me like a magical fortress, out there, there was only pain and loneliness.

I pulled back just enough so that I could see his face, and even though he looked absolutely broken, he was still the most beautiful man I'd ever see.

"We have to go." – Dad spoke softly but still made my entire body scream with refusal. Jacob frowned and let go of me a bit, almost pushing me away from him because of the grip I had on him, but still keeping his arms around me. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out, so instead of speaking, he simply gave me a kiss. His lips were shaking as he gave me the hardest most rushed and desperate kiss I'd ever experienced. He forcefully pulled back and with one look of resignation at my face, started to turn around to leave me… possibly… forever.

**Jacob's POV**

She was there, in my arms, with long tears streaming from her eyes and a look of plea in them.

"We have to go." – Edward's voice sounded like miles away, even though he was standing right behind me. I gathered all my strength and let go of her, feeling how she clung to my neck and hating myself for having to push her away.

I wanted to tell her that I loved her, that everything would be alright, that she was in the very core of me; so many things just bubbling inside of me, but I couldn't speak. I knew there wasn't time for me to get my voice back and be able to muster the words, so all I could do was kiss her. How do you condense an eternity of passion, longing and love into a 10 second kiss?

I almost had to rip myself away from her, otherwise I'd never be able to stop, and started to turn toward the forest, knowing that a minute longer and I wouldn't have the strength to leave.

I'd walked just a few steps when she ran toward me and got in front of me, and without a word, placed both hands on my face. She projected an idea she had in her mind about what our children would look like. We'd never discussed having kids before and weren't even sure we could have them, what with being freaks and all. But there it was; an image so clear it actually felt real. A little boy and a little girl, holding hands and running around the front of the house, playing in the sand. They both had dark tanned skin, with long black hair and Nessie's unmistakable eyes… twins.

I opened my eyes when she was done and realized I was fighting for much more than just keeping the two of us alive; I was fighting for our future. There was so much at stake but somehow, I wasn't as afraid anymore; Nessie´s dream was an injection of strength and courage. Magically I recovered my voice and pulled her face toward mine, pressing our foreheads together.

"Don't do anything stupid… I'll come back… I promise."

She nodded and I finally had to leave her. I turned on my heels and phased on the spot, sprinting and running as fast as I could into the forest, watching in front of me as Bella ran to the left and Edward to the right, to _my_ side of the fight. I could feel Nessie's eyes on me as I reached Edwards side and disappeared into the forest.

"_Can you hear my thoughts now?"_

"Yes, Bella is now shielding _us _from _them_."

"_You should be with her."_

"Yes, I should… but I made my little girl a promise, one I can't break."

"_Are you ready for this?"_ – I thought, as we reached the others, already formed and ready to strike.

"Always."

Even through my worry and nervousness, I was still able to think back "cocky leech", making him smile as we both halted in front of the others. Cocky or not, I was glad to have him by my side.

**Thank you for sticking around! Please, pretty please… I miss getting reviews jajaja so leave one! They really honestly light up my days!**


	33. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters; I'm just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 30**

**Nessie's POV**

"Ness are you sure I can't get you something to drink?" – Billy wheeled himself closer to me, holding a shotgun on top of his lap, like_ that_ could somehow stand a chance against the werewolves or Volturi.

"I'm ok Billy… I really can't ingest anything right now."

"Ok, just let me know."

Grandma and Carmen had both taken over each of the windows in the living room, standing still like statues in front of them and looking out into the forest. We all had our significant others on the other side of those windows.

It was pitch dark and even though it was the middle of the night, they still hadn't come back. Pretty soon dawn would come and I was sure that by then I would have already lost it. It was hard sitting back and just waiting, knowing absolutely nothing of what was happening on the outside, feeling feeble and weak and worthless, feeling as though the people who matter the most were out there risking everything to protect me and I couldn't do a thing to help.

"I wish they could send someone to tell us what's going on."

"I do too honey… but don't worry, I'm sure we're winning." – Grandma said it completely convinced that it was true; if only I could have her faith.

I got up and walked over to her, hugging her from behind and peering over her shoulder out into the dark night. I was just about to sit back down when I saw a figure in the distance, making its way toward us, a wolf. I let go of her and ran out the door, ignoring everyone's protest to not go outside. Carmen even tried to catch up with me but I managed to slip past her, running out in my full vampire speed. My heart was pounding wildly at the expectation that the wolf might be Jacob.

I was almost half way toward the wolf when I caught a whiff of his scent, not Jacob, but Seth. I stopped running and waited nervously for him to get to me. The second he stepped close enough for Billy's outside light to hit him, I realized he was covered in blood.

"Seth! What happened? Is this your blood?" – He didn't look injured, so I hoped with all my heart for the blood to belong to the werewolves.

"Nessie."

I turned around at the sound of my name and saw that Aunt Rosalie was standing beside me, catching me completely off guard. Seth turned and headed toward a tree so he could phase back.

"Rose, what's going on… what happened?"

"I need you to stay calm honey." – Rosalie was holding my arms tightly and in that moment I feared the worst.

"What? Rose! What?"

"Things got complicated. Edward says the werewolves were communicating telepathically between themselves and possibly even with the Volturi. At first we had the upper hand, because Edward was reading their thoughts… they were confused, they were looking for Jacob but couldn't recognize him from the others…"

"Dammit Rosalie! Tell me what happened!"

"We were winning… Jacob was just about to kill the last one when… well… Jacob was wearing the dog tags you gave him…"

Everything started spinning around; the ground, the trees, Billy's house.

"The werewolf saw them and before Jacob could finish him off… he somehow send a message… out of nowhere dozens of werewolves appeared… we were outnumbered and it was too late to get backup."

"Tell me, Rose… just tell me." – I couldn't breathe; I just stood there, listening to the story as if I were underwater, as if she were standing far away, as if this nightmare had nothing to do with me.

"Nessie baby… they took him."

The only thing that kept me from breaking down right then and there was her words "they _took_ him" not "they _killed _him".

"There were so many…" – Seth was now standing next to me, his face ashamed. – "We tried… "

"What happened… I mean, where… the others?" – I was having a hard time articulating a single sentence, but I needed to be tough and figure this out.

"Like I said… it got complicated… Jacob's pack communicated and so they broke apart from the other group to come and help us, because there were too many werewolves… and when Bella found out about Jacob… she… she… "

"Tell us Rose!" – Grandma spoke; she and Carmen were outside by now, grandma with her hands on my shoulders in a reassuring manner.

"Bella declared war on the Volturi… she approached them, not even pretending any more that we didn't know they were there and confronted Aro."

"Mom did what? Is she ok?"

"I don't know… that's the last thing I heard… Edward went running to aid her and the others in the confrontation and told us to come get you and take you away. He doesn't know what will happen, but he doesn't think it will end without a fight. Jacob's pack is still battling the werewolves. The best thing is to take you away while we settle this, so the Volturi can't get to you."

"No… no! I'm not leaving him!"

"This isn't debatable Ness; we'll get him back, I promise, but if the Volturi find you, it's over. Jacob instructed Seth to take care of you if something were to happen… I'm coming with you too."

"Jake said to remember your promise to him." – Seth softly spoke, looking at the ground instead of me.

"Shut up Seth! You don't know what you're talking about; there is no way in hell I'm hiding out while they have him!" - I was sobbing now, my entire body shaking as if I were a wolf about to phase.

"We have to hurry… they could follow our scent here. Mom, Carmen and Billy, you're coming too, it's not safe to stay here." – Rosalie completely ignored me as she told the others what to do.

"No! Rose please! Please let me help, let me stay! Please! I can't leave him, please!" – I was down to begging, begging to be allowed to help; this was my fight too. Rosalie took me by my shoulders and looked me straight in the eye.

"Renesmee Cullen, stop it! We are leaving whether you like it or not."

"Black… my name is Renesmee Black and I _am not _leaving Jacob." – I felt like punching her lights out, felt like screaming in rage, felt like running away. She sighed and let go of my arms.

"I'm sorry honey… but I can't let you do that." – As if they'd planned this, Seth took one of my arms while Rosalie took the other, making it impossible for me to break free. I kept screaming and threatening and begging, but they simply ignored me and began to run faster and faster, away from danger, away from Jacob.

We kept running and running. Billy decided to go stay with Rachel and not come with us, probably more than a little apprehensive about letting a bunch of vampires take him somewhere far away. We were almost nearing the Canadian border, where Rosalie said we'd hide out. We kept running in circles so our path wouldn't be easily distinguished by a tracker. Half the way there, Rose decided it best we split up, so Esme and Carmen took one route while Rose and Seth, still tightly grabbing me, took another.

I couldn't think or feel or anything, I was in a trance of fear and pain and anguish. My entire being was begging to be with Jacob, my insides screaming with hurt at the thought that I was abandoning him.

"It's ok Nessie, everything will be alright… you should have seen Bella… I mean, wow… I saw her through Leah's eyes when Jared phased to tell her what was happening on our side, what had happened to Jacob… she turned demon, just the most menacing vamp you'd ever see. The way she approached Aro and confronted him, I mean, even the old leech didn't know what hit him."

I knew Seth was trying to calm me down, tell me that we'd win in the end, that I didn't have to worry, but he had no clue what I was feeling, had no clue what it was like to have your imprint in danger and being told to stay away. I didn't even look at him, didn't even acknowledge his words, just kept staring towards the emptiness, my eyes and face numb and hot from my crying.

"We're almost there." – Rosalie broke the silence but wouldn't look at me, knowing I'd never forgive her for this. Her words again, sounded like I was underwater, as well as the rustling leaves, the cracking rocks and the insects and night critters surrounding us. It was beginning to get lighter and I didn't even want to think about what time it was, because I'd just get more desperate.

Then, like the most subtle thing ever, I felt a scent, a scent I didn't know but that was distinctively vampire. Before I could muster a word, Rosalie twirled me around and practically threw me against a tree, crouching in front of me in a defensive position. Seth phased immediately and growled in the same direction Rosalie was looking at. With a blink of an eye, Demetri, the Volturi tracker, was standing before us, and a second later, Felix and Afton were at his side.

They stood there with their horrible red eyes glaring from Rosalie, to Seth and then to me. Felix was standing in one corner, walking from side to side, never once taking his eyes off us, like a lion just waiting for the order to attack. Demetri was the first to speak.

"It's a shame you don't see things our way Rosalie, because you truly are a beautiful creature and would be even more powerful if you'd just give in to your instincts."

"My power doesn't come from human blood."

"Oh, yes… I forgot, you Cullens are so gullible you actually believe that love is stronger." – He smiled, almost a sneer, with his head tilted to the side, keeping his eyes on Rosalie but darting them occasionally toward me, blood lust visible in them.

"Give us the half breed and walk away, we do not mean harm to our own kind." - Afton spoke, his voice so alluring that if I didn't know better, I'd actually trust him.

"You'll have to kill me first."

"Tsk, tsk… what a waist. You realize you and your dog don't stand a chance against the three of us? You were born to be a princess, to be royalty, give it up." - Demetri was still speaking calmly, faking compassion, even though his posture was definitely on the offensive.

"You don't know me… you're just Aro's puppet, repeating what he's told you about me."

"Ok, let's get this over with." – Felix seemed un-amused and even a little bored. I braced myself, knowing quite well that even on their best day, Rosalie and Seth were no match against three Volturi guards.

This was it, the end. I pictured Jacob's face in my mind, tried to remember every line of his face, his warmth, his love and everything that made him perfect. I was deep in concentration when an external sensation broke into my thoughts, sending a shiver of hope all through my body… a scent; a scent I knew and loved… Emmett.

I opened my eyes and saw him arrive, just as Demetri, Felix and Afton sprinted forward to attack. Seth must have communicated, using the pack mind, that we were in trouble. How Emmett was able to get here so fast, I have no idea; but when love is concerned, we can do the unimaginable.

The fight was a haze, that if not for my enhanced vision, I would not have been able to make out a thing. Emmett of course was taking on Felix, something he'd been yearning to do for quite some time. Rosalie took on Demetri as Seth battled Afton. Emmett and Felix were like two boulders smashing each other and everything around, leaving the space were they fought tree-free and the ground cracked.

Even though I worried about my three loved ones, there was something much more engraved in me… Jacob. So without thinking, I sprinted and ran away as fast as I could. Rosalie yelled after me but couldn't go after me, not when she was in the middle of a fight. I didn't want to leave them, but I couldn't stay, my place was somewhere else, they needed to understand that.

So I ran as fast as my body could go, not really sure where I was going but hoping my instincts would kick in and I'd be able to track Jacob before they were able to track me.

I could feel the ground shake and heard loud thunder a few miles up ahead and knew it was my family and loved ones, fighting the Volturi. The gloves were off as they say, it was kill or be killed, no more false diplomacy or good intentions, it was taking down their whole corrupted empire. I crouched down and closed my eyes, taking in long breaths as to regulate my frantic heartbeat; pretty soon I was able to listen more clearly. To the north was the Volturi fight, I was certain, and then to the east I could hear faint growls, deducing it was Jacob's pack fighting the werewolves. I strained even more but got not much else. I opened my eyes and tried to catch a scent, any scent, anything that could lead me to Jacob. I walked around, stopping ever so often to pick up any new sounds, but so far I'd gotten no information to go on.

I took a different route, hoping to have more luck there. After several minutes I was beginning to lose hope on this route as well, when out of nowhere, my worst nightmare immerged… well, my second worst. In front of me, as if they'd always been standing there, were two werewolves. They were still in their "human" form, looking as disgusting and hostile as ever, their putrid smell burning my nose, with their wild yellow eyes scanning me and their greasy dreadlocked hair falling over their aggressive faces. I could tell they were taking in my scent and knew it wouldn't be long before they discovered who I was. I couldn't let that happen, otherwise more of them would come and I'd be a goner. So I did the only thing I could do, I ran toward them and jumped in mid air, striking the first one with such force that he went flying and knocked over a tree. This was do or die; suddenly mi mind was clear of all thoughts and my vampire instincts took over.

I was faster than them, being my father's daughter, but not stronger. Every one of their blows send me flying, disorienting and knocking the wind out of me. At one point one of them was able to get a hold of me and bit me in the leg, causing severe pain and a bloody gash that didn't seem to heal. Thankfully, being half vampire, I was impervious to their venom, so the bite only slowed me down but didn't stop me.

I continued to fight them, realizing I was in way over my head with two opponents twice my size and strength, however I didn't give up, knowing I needed to get to Jacob and that nothing, _nothing_, would stop me. I was finally able to climb the back of one of them and using my entire source of strength, pulled his head off, ripping it from his neck and tossing it as far away as I could. I jumped back, watching as his enormous body fell limb on the forest ground.

The second one started howling in rage, running with all his strength toward me, jumping, phasing in mid air and landing on top of me in full wolf form. He began to bite into my shoulder as I kicked him as hard as I could, trying to get him off me. When I realized he was too strong for me I panicked, looking around and trying to find something, anything, to stop him. A large tree branch was lying next to me. I reached my arm toward it, feeling how his teeth sunk deeper into my skin and knowing from the warm wet sensation that I was bleeding, a lot. I knew I was at risk of passing out, so I stretched farther, getting a hold of the long pointed branch and screaming in pain as I was able to ram it in the side of his neck all the way through until it came out the other end. I watched in horror as his eyes rolled to the back of his head and his jaw loosened the grip on me. He fell back gasping until he didn't breathe any more.

I lay there, also gasping, feeling my body twitching in pain. I looked down at my leg and realized it was slowly healing, soon my shoulder would to. It took me a minute to gather the strength to get up and examine the corpses to see if in fact they were dead. Once I assessed that they were, I continued to run, this time with a clear direction, following the scented path they'd left on their way toward me. Something in my gut told me they were coming from wherever Jacob was being held captive. Just the thought of Jacob made me forget my throbbing shoulder and leg and gave me the boost of energy and courage I needed to keep going.

The sun was already coming up, giving the forest an eerie appearance. It began to drizzle and I couldn't help but feel cold and alone, realizing just how hopeless my situation was. I couldn't run too fast, because my leg was still sore and my shoulder was still bleeding heavily, but I kept on going anyway, tracking the werewolves scent and feeling reassured when it kept getting stronger and stronger.

I came to a halt when I saw smoke in the distance; a camp site, probably were they were keeping Jake. Despite the pain, I quickened my pace, my eyes fixed on the smoke as I got closer and closer… and then.

Pain. Pain. PAIN.

I fell to the ground throbbing and thrashing. I felt as though someone were ramming a blade all over my insides, like I was being cut open and ripped apart. I couldn't breathe or think or move, all I could do was whimper and shake kneeling on the ground. Another second of this and I'd pass out from the pain. I frantically looked around but found no one. Jane couldn't possibly be here, could she? I looked around again, trying to keep my eyes opened and alert even through the agony, but again, nothing. So if this wasn't Jane, what was it?

And then, just like it came, it went. The pain left my body so that I could finally catch my breath and steady myself. It had been less than a minute, but enough to leave me feeling dizzy and weak.

As I was slowly getting up, a realization hit me harder than anything had ever hit me in my life. Jacob… Jacob was in pain. My brain started throwing at me clips of our life together, of all the times he "sensed" I was sad or mad or anything or of how when I was a kid I knew he'd come the second I got in a fight with my parents. If he could sense a minor distress in me, couldn't I sense it in him? Neither one of us had ever gotten hurt before, so this whole feeling was something new, but I suddenly remembered the time little Clair was playing outside and Quil got up running the moment she fell and sprained her ankle, as if he'd known, as if he'd felt it.

My heart started beating so loud I was having a hard time hearing myself think. My entire body was covered in cold sweat and I could feel my eyes stinging with tears. Jacob needed me and I needed to get to him. I felt so desperate and frantic at the thought that something bad had happened to him, that somehow they were hurting him. I continued to get closer to the smoke, until I had to stop running and began to creep closer.

I was shaking so bad and my heart was pounding so loudly that I was sure any of them would easily hear or see me. My breathing was coming out ragged and despite my trying to control it, there was no way I could calm down; not when I'd felt his pain, not until I could actually see him. I crept closer until I could see the camp site, just a few feet away.

They had a bonfire at the center, surrounded by a few shabby tents. It looked empty, except for two werewolves sitting near the fire and eating what looked like raw meat. The stench was nearly unbearable and didn't allow for me to smell much of anything else. So I got closer, my eyes wide and alert, my movements slow and steady, despite the fact that I was still shaking.

I finally got close enough to see the entire site and asses that in fact the two werewolves were alone. I was running my eyes all around, analyzing the situation, when I came across my worst nightmare, this time for real. There, in the ground, next to the two monsters, was Jacob, _my_ Jacob. His hands and feet were tied with steel chains and he was almost naked if not for a dirty cloth they'd tied around his waist, but that wasn't the alarming part, the alarming part was he wasn't moving. I couldn't see his face but could tell his entire body was pale. My heart rate began to increase as I tried to pull myself together and strained my ears, isolating every sound until there was only him. I braced myself for the worst as I continued to listen, closing my eyes and knowing that if he was dead, so was I.

I was just about drop in complete agony when I heard it… the faintest most beautiful sound in the universe… Jacob's heart… barely beating.

**I'm trying to update as soon as possible, so my chapters might be a little smaller, which I hope ads to the suspense ****Thank you for sticking with this story and for your reviews! I still miss reviews from some of you that began to read it from the start, from the first moment I posted the story, if you're still out there, please pretty please tell me what you think!**


	34. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters; I'm just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 33**

**Nessie's POV**

I was paralyzed. I simply stood there, unable to take my eyes off Jake's limp body, my senses so focused on his heartbeat that if a vampire were to come up behind me, I'd never know. It sounded so weak and slow, so different from the way it usually sounds, the way it usually beats fiercely and full of energy. I could hear my own heartbeat coming out of my ears and pulsating through my throat; I was panicking, big time.

Frantically I analyzed the situation; I was injured, Jake was barely alive and from what I could tell, unconscious, and there were two of these things, that according to what Rose said, could call for backup in a matter of seconds. It was only after I'd analyzed all possibilities and strategies that I _really_ panicked, recognizing there was no hope. My best chance was to find my way toward Jake's pack and guide them back here, but with Jacob's heart so weak, I didn't know if he could hold out for as long as it took for me to come back. And what if they moved him while I was away? Would I be able to find him again or would he be lost forever? I could feel a sob building up in my throat but repressed it; this was no time to be a girl, no time to be a coward.

_Don't do anything stupid._

Jacob's last words to me rang in my head, over and over again. I didn't know what to do, I didn't know if I should honor my promise to him and find help or do what I'd always been forbidden to do, fight and help like the rest of them. Either way, the odds were against me; I was outnumbered if I stayed and tried to rescue him myself and Jacob appeared too weak for me to go and find help.

What would Jacob do? I desperately tried to find a solution, feeling my heart splinter with pain as his began to beat even more slowly. This was it, I needed to act now.

I took in a big breath when I saw the two werewolves turn around and walk into one of the tents. This was my chance. I barely considered it and simply acted on impulse, swallowing my nervousness and unsteadiness; swallowing my fears and focusing solely on Jacob and the fact that he needed me.

I crept into the campsite and made my way slowly onto the center. I was exposed, with nowhere to hide; if the werewolves were to come out of the tent, they'd easily see me and both Jake and I would be goners. I held my breath as I reached him, turning him over with my trembling hands.

I was shocked when my skin made contact with his, because he was so uncharacteristically cold. His eyes were closed and his face was pale, almost all of his gorgeous color drained out of him. He looked dead, so much so that I even questioned if the heartbeat I was hearing was actually his, causing me to kneel down and press my ear to his cold bare chest. There it was, faint but alive. I pressed my eyes shut and could feel the sobs coming but tried my best to repress them, sensing how only a few tears dripped down my chin.

All I wanted was to crawl to his side, wrap my arms around him and just give up, just let them kill me too, because the thought that he might die before me was too terrifying. But I couldn't accept defeat, Jacob would definitely expect more from me. So I took in another deep breath and pulled back to examine the damage.

He had several bite wounds, wounds that hadn't already healed like normal, bites caused by the werewolves, which meant they contained vampire venom. It was until then that I understood his condition, the venom was killing him. Without another second to spare, I did the only thing I could think off, I placed my mouth over one of the bites and started sucking, draining blood the way I would when feeding. Immediately I was taken aback when I felt the venom in his system, so thick that I could barely taste his blood, so abundant that I worried I might be too late. So I continued to suck faster and faster, feeling the horrible acid metallic taste of the venom, until I couldn't taste it anymore. Instantly I pulled back once I tasted his blood and _only_ his blood, fresh and pure and free of contamination.

Without delay I spit out the venom and continued with the rest. One by one I sucked on the opened bite wounds, until I'd cleared the venom from four of them. I could hear the werewolves inside the tent, talking back and forth in their strange wolf language. They seemed to be looking for something, because I could hear them rummaging and throwing things around. My heart was beating faster and faster as I made my way through Jake's wounds, anticipating that the werewolves would come out in any second. I was already sucking on a fifth wound when a sound startled me and made me pull back, spewing out the venom in my mouth.

"Ness…"

I never thought hearing Jacob say my name would cause me such pain, but it did. His voice was so frail, so broken, that it made my insides twist in agony. I quickly took his face in my hands, searching for his eyes that were barely starting to open. Once he was able to focus his vision and look at me, I felt like the world made sense again.

"Jake… Jacob…" – I whispered, my eyes slightly blurring from the flush of tears coming out of them. My body was still trembling in fear and panic, but at least he was alive, at least he was looking up at me.

"I feel numb… what happened?" – He could barely speak or make eye contact, his eyes rolling to the back of his head in the most alarming way. He was so weak I thought my heart would just break apart in half.

I projected everything in a flash; not wanting to risk speaking out loud and having them hear us. When I was done, Jake opened his eyes again, this time confusion and weakness replaced by fear.

"Hide… go… now." – His words came out in gasps of air.

"I won't leave you."

"I… I can't protect you… I can't protect you if they find you here… please… go…" – He raised his hand with difficulty and cupped my cheek. There was a mask of pain on his face, one that I knew had nothing to do with the physical pain he was feeling, but more with the fact that I was unprotected and in harm's way. He never seized to amaze me, because despite the fact that he was so on the edge of his own demise, his worry was still focused on me, my needs were always above his.

I didn't bother answering him, simply kneeling back down and continuing my mission to drain him of all the vampire venom. Three more wounds and I could see the color slightly returning to his face, could feel his skin growing warmer.

I knew this was my cue, because the werewolves were getting more and more quiet, probably losing interest in their quest. So I took hold of his arm and placed it around my neck, picking him up off the ground using my full strength.

"Can you walk?" – I whispered. He pressed his eyes closed and nodded, placing his feet on the grown but managing to support only about a third of his weight. So I had to use my strength to practically drag him away from the campsite; if only we could reach the others, then we'd be safe.

We'd made it about fifty yards when I felt the stench, the horrible putrid werewolf stench; I felt them before I ever saw them. I tried to move faster but before I could get away, they were around us, _all _around us. Five enormous werewolves, two in wolf form while the others remained "human".

Jacob let go of me and collapsed on the ground, still unable to hold up his own weight.

"Run!" – He managed to growl out, but that just wasn't an option for me. So I instinctively stood on top of him, my legs on either side and defensively crouched. They'd have to kill me to get to him, something I was sure they'd be able to do.

He was shaking, trying to phase but not being able to. The sight of him doing this was devastating; I could only imagine his horror upon not being able to transform and defend me. I took in a deep breath and waited, crouching with Jacob under me in between my feet and the werewolves circling us.

"It's the one we are looking for… do you see, she is protecting him." – One of the werewolves in "human" form spoke, his words more like growls and barks than actual words. I could feel their eyes on me, appraising me. By now I was sure they knew just how outnumbered and vulnerable I was, with my leg and shoulder still not quite healed and my husband at my feet, shaking in desperation.

"They said to take them alive." – Growled another werewolf, a woman, the only female in the bunch. – "Attentamente… fare attenzione."

The fight started and it felt like a dream. My senses were heightened beyond belief, to the point where I wasn't even thinking anymore, just moving my body instinctively this and that way, dodging blows and bites but also delivering punches myself. All the while I kept hearing Jacob's heart, growing stronger and stronger, and for the briefest moment allowed myself a surge of hope.

I killed one of them; the only reason why I knew this was because I saw its corps lying there, because I had no recollection of doing it. Things were happening so fast it was hard to take it all in. I fought in circles around Jacob, hoping to create a perimeter around him and keep him safe, not that any of them were concerned with him, knowing that at the moment he wasn't a threat.

Even though I was fighting my best, I was still getting beaten. At one point I looked down and realized I was dripping in blood, some belonging to the second werewolf I was able to slay but most belonging to me. I was beginning to feel dizzy and disoriented. Sooner rather than later, I'd pass out, collapse, and then they'd have us, both of us. I didn't know what the Volturi wanted, but I knew it couldn't be good.

The few seconds it took for me to lose hope where enough for the creatures to subdue me. Two held me in place while the remaining one approached me, in wolf form, his eyes murderous. It was getting so hazy I couldn't even see Jacob where I'd left him. I searched for him but came up short. That's when the panic started to creep in, I thought for sure they'd taken him again. So I closed my eyes and awaited, feeling the werewolf's breath getting closer and closer to me, the smell a mixture of blood and putrid spit.

A rush of wind blew in my face and the creature's smell went away. I opened my eyes just in time to see a wolf landing on top of the werewolf, having just tackled him away from me. The wolf bit into the creature until I didn't see it struggling anymore; then he turned to look at me, still held by the two surviving creatures. It was Jacob.

My heart fluttered with relief. He still looked weak, but at least he was standing up, at least he'd been able to phase. He menacingly growled at the werewolves, who instead of retreating, sprinted forward toward him, phasing in the process. I watched in horror as they were able to pin him down on the ground, one of them biting into him.

Again I felt it, the agonizing soul searing heart wrenching pain. I shrieked in agony and collapsed to my side, with my face lying on the earthy ground, looking at Jacob and him looking back at me. I could already see the energy dripping out of him, could already see his eyes growing cloudy the way there were when I found him. The pain was puncturing straight through me, the same pain he was feeling as his veins filled once more with vampire venom. I couldn't let them keep hurting him.

I willed myself to stand up despite the pain, willed myself to find strength in my love for him. Everything inside me went quiet the second I was able to stand up and ram my fist into the werewolf biting him. I felt his moist insides and pulled at whatever organs I could reach. He instantly became immobile and rolled on to Jacob's side. The second werewolf holding Jake down turned to look at the bloody torn apart mess that was his partner. He narrowed his eyes and let go of Jake, who by now was in no condition to keep fighting, and stood in front of me, his legs in a position that could only mean attack. I braced myself for his tackle, knowing that I was far too weak to take him down as well, not when I'd used up my last bit of strength rescuing Jacob.

"Jake." – I breathed, knowing it would probably be my last words. I could no longer hear his heartbeat, maybe because my own was beating and pulsating in my ears, maybe because I was so weak my senses were malfunctioning or maybe because I'd been too late and I'd lost him. I reluctantly took my eyes of Jacob's wolf body and turned to face the creature, but something wasn't right. The menacing attacking face I'd seen a second ago was replaced by… fear.

I wasn't sure what was going on until I caught a whiff of a cluster of musky earthy animalistic scents; scents so similar to Jacob's that I immediately relaxed and landed on my knees, half unconscious. Leah, Quil and Embry's wolf bodies ran beside me and toward the creature, tearing him to bits. I crawled on my hands and knees toward were Jacob lay, as the others continued to kill the werewolf.

"Jacob… please… you promised." – I was sobbing uncontrollably, because if his heart was still beating, I couldn't hear it. So I placed my lips on the last wound the creature had given him and sucked his infected blood out, hoping, wishing, that I wasn't too late.

I spit a large amount of venom aside just as Leah, Quil and Embry came up beside me. They were whining like dogs. Quil even came up next to Jake and licked the side of his wolf face. I bent down again, sucking away at his blood and realizing the last werewolf had secreted far more venom than the others. Again I spit out the mouthful of venom, almost swallowing it because of my crying.

"No! No!"

I bent down a third time. This time I sucked until I felt his fresh pure blood, immediately stopping and pulling back to see him. I tried to convince myself that he was just resting, just passed out, that any minute now I'd hear his heart, but all hope went away when half a minute passed and I'd heard nothing but our four frantic hearts beating as one. He didn't have any more venom in his system, did he? I'd gotten everything down to the last drop, hadn't I? Then why wasn't he waking up?

He couldn't be dead, there was no way, I knew this for a fact because the second this were to happen, I was sure I'd die too. But then I thought of Emily, and how she hadn't died when Sam had.

"No! Jacob… please baby… please wake up… please! Don't leave me!" – I threw myself on top of his furry body and pressed my sobbing swollen face to his chest, inhaling his scent and wishing I were dead too. My hands instinctively reached his face, and out of habit or simply because I couldn't speak, I projected. There were so many things I wanted to say to him that I let it all wash out of my hands, every single beautiful thought I ever had of him, my world made whole because of him, my entire being connected to him in such a way that my soul was dead without his, the children we never had, the eternal life he and everyone else had promised we'd have together.

I was so injured that I figured I'd just lie here with him, waiting for my wounds to bleed out. So I closed my eyes and prayed for God to take me away. I'd never truly believed in God's existence, not when I'd lived my entire life enraptured in a world so crazy and supernatural that God seemed pretty farfetched, but in that moment I believed, believed he'd grant me the miracle of _not_ healing and dying next to Jake.

Ten seconds later, I got my miracle, just not the one I'd prayed for. I was so deep in my own mourn and grief that it took me a while to distinguish the sound pressing against my face, the sound of life, the sound of salvation, the sound of love… Jacob's heart… strongly beating.

**Your reviews for my last chapter really made me happy, it's good to know many of you have been with me since the beginning and are still with me! So please, keep making me happy jajaja**

**This chapter is small but I just really needed to get it out there. Love you all so much, let me know what you think!**


	35. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters; I'm just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement intended. **

**Chapter 34**

**Nessie's POV**

"Jacob?"

I took my face away from his chest to look at him. He still looked awfully pale and weak, but his heart was beating, faster and stronger than it had been ever since I'd found him. The agonizing abyss his silent heart had formed a second ago was filled with the beautiful sound of the rhythmic beats it was producing now. I felt as though a huge boulder had been lifted off me, as if I'd died and been brought back to life.

Leah, Quil and Embry were silent next to me, their huge wolf faces pressed around me and looking at Jake, waiting for him to wake up.

"Jacob?" – I tried again, this time pressing closer to his face and kissing his soft fur. I needed for him to open his eyes so I could finally calm down. When I pulled back, at last it happened, he was looking at me, his eyes just the same as when he's human, so full of love that you feel like bursting. I stroked his head and his body in soothing movements, the way you'd caress a dog, causing him to whimper slightly and close his eyes. His body still looked limp and I could tell he was still in pain, but at least he was alive. I felt like crying again, or maybe I never stopped, because my face felt hot and swollen and wet.

"We have to get out of here; we need to take him somewhere safe, where he can get better." – My voice was shaky and hoarse and sounded nothing like me. I could only imagine just how desperate and wrecked I must have looked. When I turned to say this to the others, I was shocked to find that Leah had already phased back to human, wearing shorts, a tube top and a bunch of scars in the process of healing, probably from the fight. I'd never seen her look at me this way, not with the usual bravado or false contempt but with actual sympathy and even pity.

"Nessie, you're really badly hurt, how do you feel?"

Up until then I hadn't given my own situation much thought, but the second she brought it up, I realized I didn't feel so good. My vision was still somewhat blurry, I felt cold and unsteady, my body was shaking and ached from head to toe. I looked down and realized I was covered in blood and still bleeding, having no clue which of the multiple injuries was the culprit for this.

"I don't know… I feel… woozy."

Leah kneeled down beside me and analyzed my wounds, taking a shirt that was tied to Embry's leg and ripping it in two, placing and tying one piece over my shoulder and the other around my abdomen, which seemed to be bleeding as well.

"How… how are the others?" – Again my voice was not my own, but I didn't care, I needed to ask her for my parents, for my family.

"I don't know; we lost contact when the rest of us left them to go help with the werewolves. The last thing I saw was Edward arriving at the scene, right after Bella had confronted the old leech."

"So you don't know if they made it out?" – I couldn't take another surge of panic and anguish, just couldn't. Not only was Jacob lying next to me, still so very hurt, but also I knew nothing about my family. Had Seth, Rose and Emmett defeated the guards?

"Seth… is he… how is he?" – I was afraid to ask, but I knew that with the pack mind, at least _that_ part of the battle I'd know about.

"He's fine, he has a broken leg and couple of ribs but I'm sure that by tomorrow they'll be healed… your aunt and uncle made it out alive too, they left Seth recuperating at our house and then went to be with the others."

I felt my body start to drift away, like I was losing my senses. Leah's face was getting blurrier and blurrier and pretty soon the only sound I could hear was Jacob's heart and Leah's voice, but even _that_ was slowly drifting away.

"Nessie? Ness?"

"I… I need to take Jake… you need to go help my family."

"Ness, we have…" – She paused and gave Jake a fleeting look out of the corner of her eye, before continuing. – "orders. When Jacob phased he instructed us to come rescue you and said we were not to leave your side… he thought we'd be too late to save him."

"No… you have to help the others… please…"

Leah shifted her eyes toward Jake again, with hesitation, and then turned them back on me; I could tell she felt sorry.

"It was an alpha order."

I barely heard her say it, her words sounded so far away as her face became a blur. I could feel my body giving up and even though I wanted to fight against it, even though I wanted to make sure Jacob was safe and sound, I just couldn't.

The last thing I remember feeling were Leah's hands, as she picked me up off the ground.

**Jacob's POV**

"Run!" – I let go of Nessie and fell to the ground, unable to stand up. If she ran now maybe she'd have a chance at escaping. I watched with horror as a group of werewolves came closer and closer and with even _more_ horror when Nessie, instead of listening to me, crouched over me, protecting _me_. The sight was unbearable, my beautiful Ness, looking so small and vulnerable next to the cluster of menacing werewolves. I hated the way they were looking at her, the way their stance suggested aggression, but most of all, hated the way I couldn't do anything about it. My body began to shake, the way it always does when I'm more than a little furious, but I couldn't phase. Ness looked down at me with pity in her eyes and I hated myself; she was about to get killed right in front of me, I was about to fail her in the worst possible way, I was about to let these fucking monsters take her away from me, unfulfilling my promise to always keep her safe. If the venom wouldn't kill me, I was sure Nessie's death would.

It was hard to concentrate on phasing when they were so close to Ness and when my entire body felt numb. Before I knew it, she was fighting them. I closed my eyes and focused, focused my attention on my body and on trying to phase. I kept opening them to see her dodging punches and bites… some she didn't dodge, making me want to kill myself. Every hit she received _I_ received as well, as if we were connected some way, as if our bodies were not two but one. I welcomed the pain, because it meant that if she died, I would too, but of course, I couldn't let that happen.

I wasn't getting anywhere close to changing when I opened my eyes and saw that they had pinned her down. She was struggling, my poor Nessie, but they had her, one on each side of her, digging their filthy nails into her arms. I felt sick to my stomach as the third one approached her in wolf form, teeth bared and all. I knew his stance, knew his body language… he was coming in for the kill.

A jolt of electricity went through my body and I managed to pull out of God knows where the strength to phase on the spot. I was so weak I knew that even in wolf form, they'd easily kill me, but at least I could save her, at least I would make certain _that_ was the last thing I ever did.

"_Jacob? You're alive!"_ – Leah thought. I could see she and the others were finishing off the last of the werewolves. I could also see they were all badly beaten, but healing.

"_I need you! Please! Hurry!"_ – As soon as my frantic mind came up with the plea, they were off, Leah, Quil and Embry, running as fast as their paws could take them toward us.

I pulled the last of my remaining strength and ran head on toward the werewolf about to attack Nessie, ramming my body so fiercely against his that I knocked him over and away from her. My force was draining rapidly, the weakness the venom had caused was resurfacing, but I had to at least make enough damage so she would be safe until they got here.

I took advantage of my surprise attack and without hesitation, bit into the werewolf's throat and ripped at whatever my teeth could find, until I felt the monster heave and exhale his last breath. As soon as I was done, my legs started to wobble and I felt dizzy, but I couldn't stop, not when Nessie's life depended on it. I turned and saw her, so beautiful and perfect, even when covered in blood and beaten, definitely worth dying for, not one, but a thousand painful deaths. I clung to her eyes a second longer, feeling the weight of the truth in my heart… this would be the last time I'd ever see her.

I growled at the werewolves, hoping they take me on and leave her alone. Thankfully they did and before I knew it, they'd crushed me to the floor. I was beyond pretending I could stop this, my body was so tired and frail that it collapsed as soon as the first one ran into me.

"_Jacob?"_ – I could see Leah was panicked. They were close, I could feel it, but not close enough to save me, so I spoke to them before it was too late.

"_I order you to keep Nessie safe, none of you can leave her side, you will die first before she does… she is your responsibility from now on." _– I hadn't realized I'd given an Alpha order until I felt their uneasy thoughts. I was so beyond desperate that I didn't care, at this point I'd do anything to make sure she was taken care of.

Before I could think anything else, say goodbye to them even, I felt the agonizing pain of one of the werewolves biting me and the way the vampire venom slowly made its way through my veins, leaving a path of destruction and burning suffering. My head fell to the side, toward where Nessie was lying, my pain reflected in her eyes. I simply looked at her until I couldn't see her anymore, until my eyes went black and the sound around me mute, until I was alone in the cold nothingness with only the memory of my Ness to keep me whole.

Everything was black and empty and pretty soon the image of Nessie started to fade away. I was falling helplessly into the abyss and couldn't remember who I was or anything at all, like my entire being was slipping away and getting lost forever. The darkness was slowly filled with white light, equally void of life but far more comforting. I was getting used to seeing nothing and feeling nothing when an image made its way to me. At first I didn't recognize what I was seeing; a tall dark guy with a huge grin on his face and then a girl, equally tall but not muscular and bulky like him, slender. Her skin was glowing in a strange way and her eyes were terribly familiar, brown and almond shaped. More and more images crept inside my head, interrupting the white nothingness; the girl as a child hugging the big bulky tanned guy, then the same girl only now grown up kissing and making love to him. I felt a tingle of something in my thoughts but still didn't understand. Then came another image of the girl holding two babies in her arms, their faces the perfect combination of both their features.

That's when recognition came to me… that was me; the big muscular tanned guy was me. I racked my brain to remember the girl. It was so hard when my mind seemed to be empty and everything around me begged me to give up and fade away. The images kept coming and coming, each one bringing a new spec of understanding… N… Ne… Nes… Nessie. The moment my brain thought her name I remembered everything and suddenly, I didn't feel like slipping away into the void, I felt like struggling to get out.

WAKE UP! I commanded myself. KEEP YOUR PROMISE! I screamed out.

Pretty soon the white surroundings left me and I heard a familiar voice. – "Jacob?"

**Sorry about the small chapter, but I couldn't wait to post it and the second half is still in process, so I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know what you think, I'm a sucker for reviews!**


	36. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and do not own any of the Twilight Series characters; I'm just a fan having fun. No copyright infringement intended.**

**Chapter 35**

**Nessie's POV**

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the pain, pulsating through my whole body. The second thing I noticed was Jacob's scent, strong, far too strong for him to be dead. With a jolt I opened my eyes and got up, realizing I was lying in Leah's bed with Jacob right there next to me.

He had bandages all over him and his face was scratched and bruised, but he was healing, I could tell. I hesitantly put my hand over his naked torso and was relieved when under it I felt warm skin and his heart pulsating. I took in a deep breath and held it in, because I was on the verge of sobbing. He was alive… Jacob Ephraim Black was alive.

It had been so close; those minutes when his heart stopped beating where the worst in my life, I hadn't known agony like that ever before, never known true pain until I couldn't hear the life pulsating through him. But now here he was, alive. I closed my eyes hoping to stop the waterworks but there was no stopping it, my face was wet and my tears were dripping like a fountain all the way down my neck.

"Baby?"

With surprise I opened my eyes and as soon as I looked into his, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I started crying, sobbing, bawling. He took my face in his hands and pressed it to his neck all the while shushing me. I cried with relief and happiness and even a little dread from the thought that I'd nearly lost him. It was amazing to press my face in his neck and take in his scent, feel the warmth he was radiating, hear the pulse of his veins. After the longest time I knew I needed to stop, because I was wasting precious minutes by crying.

When I pulled back I realized he had tears in his eyes as well.

"Ness… I'm… I'm sorry, so sorry." – His voice was really hoarse and he seemed to have a hard time speaking.

"What? Why are you sorry?" – I could barely get the words out because I was still crying.

"I wasn't there for you… I wasn't strong enough, I failed… I mean, look at you sweetheart, just look at you." – He took my face in his hands and began to kiss every one of my recently healed wounds, making his way toward my shoulder and torso and abdomen, sweetly kissing every area that had been beaten and cut and damaged by the werewolves.

"I'm fine… I feel fine… it doesn't matter."

"How can you say that? I almost got you killed." – He shook his head in disapproval of himself.

"You didn't do anything… I was the one who came looking for you even when you told me not to, and I don't feel sorry about it, because if I hadn't you'd…" – I couldn't finish, instead a sob made its way to my throat. Jacob looked pained by my incessant crying and pressed me closer to him, kissing my face with all the tenderness I was sure he could muster.

"No… no, no… nothing can take me away from you… stop thinking that… we're safe, ok baby? Please don't cry anymore or I will."

I couldn't help but let out a little laugh when he said this, because for some reason it had sounded funny. He pulled away to look at me and smiled back, running his hands through my messy hair. A second later he stopped smiling and got a serious look on his face.

"You saved me Ness… when I was the one who was supposed to save you. I'm sorry for ever making you feel weak or feeble or unfit to fight… you're better than all of us."

I shook my head, suddenly feeling embarrassed. I'd never heard Jacob praise me for my fighting abilities, it was… amazing.

"I only sucked the venom out of you… that's all…"

"No baby… you fought to keep them away from me… I saw you get slammed and crushed and bitten but you still kept going, still kept fighting… I was so weak all I could do was watch… I don't deserve how amazing you were."

"Yes you do."

He smiled and kissed me. He was still a little cold, not as warm as he usually is, but I knew pretty soon he would heal completely and go back to being the strong wolf I know. I was enjoying kissing him so much, after all the heartache I'd been through minutes before, that I'd completely forgotten about the impending situation… the Volturi and… my family.

I reluctantly pulled back.

"My family… I have to find out what happened."

He turned to the side just as Leah entered the room. She was carrying a tray with two glasses, one that looked like it had some sort of medicinal drink and the other blood. She didn't bother saying hi or getting emotional over the fact that we were both awake and healing.

"Take this, it will give you strength. Mom made this one for you Jacob; it's an old Quileute recipe, women used to make it for the warriors before and after battle."

"You're not trying to poison me, are you Leah?" – He was joking of course, but she didn't find it funny, instead she made a face that implied he was being "insensitive" and handed the glass to him with an attitude. Only when she handed the glass of blood to me did I see a trace of relief in her eyes, I suddenly realized she had been worried for our wellbeing.

"Thank you Leah... do you… do you know anything about my family."

"Yes… they're hunting down the last of the Voltury… it appears some of them were able to escape."

"You mean they're all fine… we won?"

Leah simply smiled and nodded. I inhaled and then exhaled in relief; everything had turned out fine, just like I'd hoped.

"Which ones escaped?"

"They're all leaches to me." – Leah's tone was harsh, as if her sympathy for me was slowly drifting away. Jacob cleared his throat, making Leah blink and give him an irritated expression.

"Quil was the one who went to find your family… you should ask _him_." – She turned around and exited the room. Automatically Jacob and I exhaled.

"They're fine!" – I was so happy it was hard to keep the tears in. Jacob laughed and kissed my face all over, obviously feeling just as giddy as me.

"You're alive, they're alive… the stinky Volturi are goners… what else could we ask for?" – He was grinning profusely, looking so adorable my heart ached at the thought that hours ago he'd nearly died. The idea made me curious about something.

"Jake… when you're heart stopped beating… did you see anything? I mean, I know it sounds sort of cheesy but, was there something on the other side?"

Jacob stopped smiling and looked up, squinting his eyes and concentrating.

"Um… I don't… I don't really remember… there was whiteness and…" – He was looking at me but not really looking at me, looking past me, as if his eyes were seeing the memory. – "Did you? Did you project something?"

"What?" – I was more than a little shocked by his answer, had he actually seen what I'd projected when he was _dead_?

"I'm not sure… but I think I saw you and…" – He paused, frowning and looking down, still trying to remember. He then looked up at me with a start, his eyes wide in expectance, placing his hands on my tummy.

"Are you… Ness, are you pregnant?"

I blinked twice, unsure of why he was asking this.

"Wha… what?"

"When we said goodbye, you showed me our kids, and then again… when I was dying, I saw them. You projected didn't you?"

"Yes but, it was just a dream, a fantasy… I mean, I don't remember projecting that when you died… but then again, I was so messed up. But it was just a vision I had… it's not… real… is it?" – Suddenly I wasn't sure if maybe my dream was actually a vision, a premonition. The thought that it could be made my stomach dance with butterflies… was I pregnant?

"I don't know… it felt real when I saw it." – Jake had a grin from ear to ear, something I hadn't quite expected. Was he ready to be a father? He still looked so young, even though he was much older, and he still behaved like a teenager sometimes; could he actually take care of a baby? And then of course, was_ I_ ready to be a mother? The idea was freaky considering I'm only 5 years old and look 17, but somehow, no matter how freaky it could seem, a part of me was thrilled with the idea of bearing Jacob's children. I could only imagine how wonderful they could be, how I would love them knowing they're his.

We were grinning like idiots when Quil poked his head inside the room.

"Come in."

"Hey, how are you guys feeling?"

"Good… really good." – Jacob smiled at him and reached over to shake his hand. – "Thank you for taking care of us."

"Well, we didn't have much choice did we?" – Something about the way Quil said it seemed more resentful than lighthearted, like there was a double meaning in his words. Jacob noticed it too because he let go of his hand and gave Quil a quizzical look.

"You wanna tell me what's going on?"

"Yeah I do. Do you actually think you need to _order_ us to take care of Ness? After everything we've been through, after we've all shown you loyalty… after we protected her against our better judgment when we didn't even know her… after all that, you still think it's necessary to throw out the Alpha card?"

"Shit." – Jacob covered his eyes with his hand and looked down, obviously regretful. When he looked up at Quil again I could tell he was embarrassed.

"Dammit Quil, I'm sorry… I panicked; I didn't even notice it was an Alpha order until I said it… I was so afraid and pressed for time that I asked you guys to do it in desperation, and I guess it came out like that. You have to understand the circumstances… I didn't think."

"Yeah, I guess you didn't." – Already I could see Quil's anger subsiding, as if all he truly wanted was to hear Jacob apologize. I knew Jacob had already been forgiven the minute he hurt his feelings, Quil loved him too much to hold a grudge, but I guess he just wanted to prove his point and point out Jake's mistake.

"Can you forgive me?"

"Sure man… but… can you take it off? I've been dying to go see Clair but I can't leave Nessie's side… no offense Ness but, I'm sick of it."

Both Jacob and I laughed, as he spoke out "I withdraw my previous order." I saw Quil sigh in relief and mock saluted Jacob as he quickly headed for the door.

"Quil! Wait! Tell me about my family? Why haven't they come down here? Which of the Volturi escaped? Tell me everything you know."

"Ok… when I went to find them the battle was over; a few of the good leaches were missing an arm or two but since those freaky things are re-attachable, it shouldn't be a problem. Your clan wasn't there though, they all went tracking to find and kill the rest."

"Who? Which ones?"

"Um… the leader…"

"Aro?"

"Yeah, and the other one… Caius I think… plus the scary brother and sister…"

"Jane and Alec?" – Quil nodded, making my insides churn. I didn't like the fact that those two sadists were still out there.

"… the one who's always touching the old guy…"

"Aro's shield, Renata?"

"Sure, her… and like three other guards I know nothing about. But don't worry, they're outnumbered; I'm sure Bella and Edward will get here any minute, so relax and rest. I gotta go."

And with that, Quil rushed out and left me with a whole bunch of unanswered questions. I guess what would have really put me at ease would have been to see my family alive and well for myself, because no matter how well things seemed to have turned out; there was still a lingering uneasiness in the pit of my stomach.

"Jake, we have to go find them."

He took my face in his hands and pressed his forehead to mine, inhaling and then looking at me.

"Why do you have to make things so hard on me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you were almost killed, and now you want to go looking for Volturi vampires?"

"We can help them… since when do you shy away from a good fight?"

"Since my possibly _pregnant_ wife almost got killed trying to save me… I think we've had enough for one day."

"I'm not pregnant."

"You're not?" – Jacob raised one eyebrow while giving me his teasing smile. Suddenly I wasn't so sure of myself. I looked down at my stomach, as if just by looking at it I would be able to tell if I was. Everything felt normal in there, but then again, there _were_ the recurring dreams of two small Jacob-looking children.

"I… I'm not sure…"

"Listen, if it will make you feel better, I'll go find them." – Jacob got out of bed but the minute he placed his feet on the floor, his body wobbled over and he lost his balance. I reached over and kept him from falling, pulling him back toward the bed.

"Are you ok?" – My voice came out frantic, as I examined his pale face.

"I'm still weak… some of the venom must still be in my system."

I felt like an idiot for wanting to go find the Volturi, after everything we'd been through, after almost dying, that was definitely not a smart plan.

"I'm sorry Jake, I don't know what I was thinking… we'll stay here and wait for them. Drink what Leah gave you."

"_You_ drink your blood." – He pushed the glass toward me. – "You look really hurt baby, have you seen yourself? God, I want to kill myself every time I look at you."

"It's not that bad… I feel fine." – I wasn't sure if I was lying or not. I definitely felt better than a couple of hours ago, but my body still ached all over and I still felt really cold. – "None of this is your fault by the way, _they're_ the ones who attacked me… you did everything you could do."

"It still wasn't enough." – His eyes looked sorry as he ran his thumb along the bruised part of my face. I knew it was bruised because his gentle touch made the tender area throb with pain, but I kept still, not wanting him to stop touching me.

He stopped caressing my face once he noticed the desire in my face, this was no time to be thinking about those things, and ordered me to drink the blood as he chugged down the weird looking beverage Leah had prepared.

"Any good?" – I asked, when I saw the disgusting face he put on once he finished the last drop.

"Leah _is_ trying to poison me… or at least get even for the Alpha order… yuck."

We both laughed.

"I can't believe I almost lost you." – I reached over and took his hand, still feeling more than a little sentimental.

"I'm sorry I let that happen." – He smiled and scooted closer to me, giving me a soft kiss. I relished in his taste even though the kiss lasted very little. I thought it lasted so little because maybe he was afraid of hurting me, but the minute I saw his face when he pulled back, I knew that wasn't it. He was looking to the side as if listening to something; I was so tired and drunk with his closeness that I heard nothing.

"What?"

He turned back to me with a huge grin on his face.

"Bella… and Edward… they're here."

I jumped off the bed, gathering all my strength to walk across Leah's room and out the door. Jacob followed, wincing every time he took a step. I was half way through the hall when the front door opened and my parents walked in. I immediately felt my eyes flush with tears as I tried desperately to close the gap between us.

They were at my side before I knew it, hugging and kissing me. Their presence was the last reassurance I needed that things had gone well, that we had been victorious and that our troubles with the Volturi were over.

I was so relieved and happy that it was hard to put it in words, so I just kept hugging them and crying, feeling how their cool comforting skin graced me and made my heart dance with joy. This was all I ever needed, my parents and Jacob.

"Darling, what happened to you?" – When we finally stopped hugging, dad appraised my bruised and beaten condition.

"She fought five werewolves." – Jacob stepped closer, obvious pride in his tone and face. Things could definitely not get any better.

"Seven actually… I killed two on the way to rescue you." – The three of them looked at me astonished.

"Wait… rescue Jacob? You rescued him?" – Mom seemed truly surprised about this, looking from Jacob to me. I could tell she felt like crying, but obviously couldn't.

"You don't know what happened?"

"No… we thought you were here with Seth… Rosalie and Emmett came to help us and they said Seth had been badly hurt and that they'd left him here, with you, after defeating Felix and the others. You mean they lied?" – Mom looked positively appalled by this.

I couldn't understand why Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett would not tell the truth or better yet, why they hadn't preferred to go find me than to go help the others.

"Not really." – Leah came out of the kitchen, holding a beverage much like the one she'd given Jacob, I was sure her next victim was Seth, whom I could hear in his room snoring.

"When they finished killing the lee… vampires…. they brought Seth back here and came to find us, the pack. They wanted help tracking Nessie and didn't want to tell you anything because apparently the blonde felt guilty for losing her. So Colin, who's our best tracker, went with them and after an eternity of looking for Ness and coming up short, we got the message from Jacob that they were both about to get killed. We were closer to the campsite than the blond and the big guy so we told Colin to phase and let them know that we were on it. Colin says that after learning that we'd saved Nessie, they ran toward were you guys where, to help out."

"I don't believe this! You mean you were fighting while we knew nothing? Rose is getting a beating once I see her, how could she lie to us? And what do you mean "that they were both about to get killed"?" – Mom was positively furious and panicked, her lovely voice rising high and chiming like a bell. Her last question was directed at Leah, who simply rolled her eyes at her in annoyance and left toward Seth's room without another word. No matter how long I've known her, her bad manners always catch me off guard. When mom realized she wasn't getting her answers from Leah, she turned her anger toward Jacob, completely unjustified.

"What happened?"

"Love, you need to calm down… remember Jacob is also a victim here." – Dad as always remained cool and collected, while mom appeared to be losing it; I'd never seen her _this_ discomposed. She looked down and took in a deep breath; now she _really_ looked like she was about to cry.

"I know… we almost lost you." – She walked toward Jake and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Over her shoulder he gave me a look as in "your mother's crazy", making me smile and throwing away any jealousy that was slowly making its way into my heart.

"Everything's fine Bells, we're ok."

She pulled back to look at him.

"When I heard they'd taken you… I… I just couldn't…" – She turned to look at me, extending her arm toward me so that I could take it. Now she had us both in her grasp.

"Baby, if I'd known you were also in harm's way…" – She shook her head and looked down.

"Nessie doesn't need protecting; she kept Jacob alive by fighting off five werewolves, _by herself_." – Dad was smiling and apparently reading our thoughts, because I couldn't feel mom's shield anymore and because there was no way dad could know the things he continued to state. Mom turned to look at him, still holding us tightly but drawn to his voice. Whenever dad spoke, mom always listened.

"This was of course after fighting with two werewolves, whom she killed skillfully… she was badly hurt though." – Dad looked from my shoulder to my leg and I could see sorrow in his eyes; Jacob was also looking at me, with more than sorrow in his.

"She continued to search for Jacob despite her injuries… she was so brave." – This time dad directed the comment to mom, smiling at her as if this were a beautiful story he wanted to share with her. – "He was dying when she found him and still she gathered hope to carry him away from the werewolves… but they caught them."

"I'm sorry I didn't protect her Edward." – It was so bizarre to me that Jacob was actually apologizing to dad, sweet but bizarre. He had nothing to apologize for, at all.

"No Jacob, you sacrificed yourself to keep them from killing her… I can see, in your head, how weak you were, how broken; if not for the love I feel for Bella, I would not understand how you gathered strength to phase and push them away from her. As always Jacob, you exceed my expectations. And so do you my darling."

I felt my face grow hot and red, just as Jacob's hand found mine and squeezed it. His hand was warmer, which meant he was feeling better.

"It was close, if not for Nessie's quick thinking about sucking the vampire venom out of Jacob, he would have died, in fact, he did."

Mom stopped looking at dad and turned her attention to Jacob, her eyes wide with the idea that it had gotten so close.

I waited for dad to continue with his retelling of the events, fresh off both our brains, but he didn't. He was squinting as if trying to read a confusing or foggy thought.

"Edward?" – Mom's voice distracted his concentration and made him focus his eyes back to us and then almost immediately to my abdomen.

"No? Are you…?"

I glanced with the corner of my eye at Jacob, who was smiling his most brilliant widest smile. He looked positively giddy and elated, making me want to kiss him like never before.

"We don't know." – Jacob answered.

"What?" – Mom turned back to Jacob. His giddiness was rubbing off on her because she was already smiling even before he'd answered her.

"We think Ness might be pregnant."

"What?" – Mom let go of Jacob but kept her hold on me. – "How do you know? Are you sure?"

"Relax mom, it's probably nothing… I've just been having some dreams, dreams of me holding twins. Jacob is reading too much into this." – I tried to sound nonchalant but really inside I was crazy excited and hopeful.

"I had dreams too, before I knew _I _was pregnant. We need to find out." – She turned toward dad who nodded.

"Hey, hold up, let's not get carried away ok? First just tell me, is everyone alright?"

"Yes darling, many of our friends have parted already and the remaining are back at the big house."

"So no one died? Everything's fine? We won?" – I wanted to hear them say the words.

"Apparently."

"So you found the others? Aro and Jane and Alec?"

Dad's face went stone cold, with no expression visible on his perfect features; _that _was never a good sign.

"We don't need to worry about them."

"They got away?" – Jacob took a step closer to dad and placed his hand across my chest, in a protective manner. Mom gave him a look because his action forced her to back away from me.

"That's not good Edward. They'll come back, they're the strongest ones."

"Hardly; with Bella their powers are worthless. It's only a matter of time before we find them."

"No Edward, we need to find them tonight! I'm not risking them getting farther away!"

"It's not that simple Jacob."

"What's the complication?"

"Without the Volturi there is no vampire law, things could get out of hand, something we don't want. As horrible as this might seem to all of us, they are necessary. Therefore, Carlisle is working to contact them and have a civilized reunion; he believes we can come to an understanding."

"Are you fucking kidding me? They came after us! After Nessie! We defeated them so they'll want revenge! Do you actually think they'll agree to do things _your _way? As soon as they're powerful again, they'll kill us!"

"Aro is no fool, he'll honor a deal if it means he gets to keep the throne."

Jacob was fuming, looking at dad with a murderous rage. I couldn't help but agree with him; this was _not_ a good idea.

"Bells, are you letting this happen? Do you agree with this?" – Jake looked at mom, knowing she was his only chance to get to dad and possibly revert this terrible decision.

"No, I don't… but I trust Carlisle."

"Don't give me that! Edward, this is the time to end this, while they're weak!"

"No, this is the time to make things better, to go back to the way it all started, when the Volturi did things the right way."

"They're bloodsucking human killing leeches! What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Nothing is set in stone, if Carlisle speaks to Aro and things don't go as planned, we'll end them. Calm down Jacob, we will handle this."

"Well excuse me for overreacting after my _wife_ just barely made it out alive after those leeches sent their dogs after us and tried to kill us!"

"This isn't easy for us either, but we can't be vengeful like them, we have to consider the greater good."

"I can't believe you're saying this… just because it wasn't Bella the one they were after!"

"That's not fair Jacob and you know it, I love my daughter."

"That's not good enough… "– Jacob paused and after a quick glance at me spoke again. –"Fine, if you won't kill them, my pack will."

I immediately turned to look at him, afraid he was serious, and he was. The last thing I wanted was for him to fight the Volturi; not after almost losing him. His pack was strong, yes; but without the help of my family, the Volturi would surely win.

"Jake, please… don't." – Mom took Jacob's hand in hers, her eyes pleading.

"We're long past due the time you could influence me Bella." – His voice sounded bitter, so unlike him it hurt. Maybe mom had no way of convincing him otherwise, maybe she no longer had any sort of influence over him, but I was sure I did.

"You're not doing this Jacob… I trust dad."

"Ness…"

"I'm not letting you lead your pack into a slaughter; let's just wait to see what happens… killing them is still not off the table… right?" – I glanced at dad.

"Right. Believe me, if anyone wants them dead, it's me… but we have to be rational and do things right."

Suddenly, Jacob let go of my hand and walked forward until he was face to face with dad. There was so much tension it was hard to bear. Jacob's jaw was tight and clenched when he spoke, making his voice sound terribly intimidating.

"If you're wrong… if this goes bad and they hurt her… I _will _kill you."

"Jacob, if that happens… I'll be begging you to."

I felt a shiver go up my spine, because the vision was horrible: me, dead on the ground, as Jacob rips my dad apart, limb by limb, and mom screams in pain. That would never happen, would it? I couldn't imagine Jacob hurting dad, much less mom in that way.

"Hey!" – Leah came out of Seth's room. – "I don't want any fights in my house, if you're going to kill him Jake, please do it outside."

I wasn't sure if she was joking or not, or if she just felt compelled to break the drama and the tension. Whatever her intentions, I was thankful. Jake seemed to respond to her voice and turned to look at her; she gave him a look I couldn't quite read and I immediately felt jealous for their closeness. They could speak without saying a word.

Jacob nodded to her and turned around back to me.

"You should both get some more sleep, you're wounds are still not healing as rapidly as they should." – Dad seemed calm even after Jacob's confrontation and threat. –"We'll come back later."

"Don't bother." – Leah spoke under her breath, low so that a normal human wouldn't understand but high enough that all of us, even Seth locked away in his room, heard it. Neither mom nor dad responded to her unfriendly comment; they simply smiled at me with reassurance and walked towards the door. I could tell momma didn't want to leave, I even saw her glance at dad, the kind of swift glance a human would miss, as if asking him to do something so she didn't have to let go of me; but Jacob was still fuming so dad, being the wise man he is, took hold of her hand and lead her outside. I didn't want them gone and I certainly didn't want to stay in this house, not with the jealous feelings I was experiencing toward Leah at the moment.

Once they were gone, Jacob turned to look at me. His eyes were still full of angst and anger, an intensity that if not for the fact that it was caused by my parents would have otherwise seemed sexy.

"I'm sorry." – Jacob broke my inner thoughts. – "I didn't mean it."

"I think you did."

He didn't respond, because deep down inside he knew he did too. We stayed quiet for a while; I could smell Leah's scent all over us, from having slept in her bed. I hadn't minded it before but I certainly did now, especially when it was Jacob who smelled like her.

"I don't want to be here."

"You want to go to the big house?"

"No, I want to go home."

"I think we better stick around the others, just in case. I still don't feel strong enough to protect you if we're alone. We have Leah here and your family over there."

"I don't care… I want to go home."

"Babe…"

"I just need a break, from everything… I just need to be with you, alone… to forget about the Volturi and everything that just happened… please." – I knew Jacob would crumble under any request I could make of him, and this was no different; as soon as I finished my sentence, he scooted me up into his arms and started walking toward the door.

"I'm taking your car Leah!" – He called out. I distinctly heard her say "whatever" followed by "about time you left", her tone was acid as usual although I could tell she really didn't mean it.

As we were heading out the door we watched Embry park just in front of the Clearwater house, stepping out of his car with a bag full of Mexican food. The simple smell made me want to puke.

"Hey, you leaving?"

"Yeah, we need some alone time."

"Dude, I don't need to hear it anymore than you need to hear about Leah and me."

"Shut up Embry, that's not what I'm saying."

Embry laughed and I suddenly noticed how unlike Leah and Quil, he didn't seem to be even a tad offended by Jake's previous Alpha order.

"My baby girl wanted takeout… so needless to say, I had to go make a run. You don't want to stay and eat a little?"

"No, we're fine, thanks Embry." – I smiled at him despite the urge to gag at the food's stench.

"Sure Ness… I'm glad you're feeling better, you too buddy." – Embry patted Jacob on the shoulder and stepped out of the way so he could continue to carry me to Leah's car.

"You don't have to carry me you know."

"I know; it just seems more _dramatic_." – He laughed at his own joke. – "As if we need more drama in our lives."

He put me down, opened the passenger door for me and ran to the other side to get in. Leah's car was not in the best condition but at least it worked. I was tempted to suggest we go get Jacob's new car from the big house, where we'd left it, but kept my temptations to myself because I couldn't wait to get home; the sooner the better.

**OMG! Your reviews have been so nice! I've gotten really good and **_**long **_**reviews for this past chapter, it really makes me happy. I'm sorry I can't thank each one of you personally but know that I do read each one and jump up and down with excitement. Sometimes I'm really busy but once I get your reviews, I'm motivated to keep writing, so thank you!**

**I'm hoping to write an outtake in Bella's POV about the fight with the Volturi, after Jacob was taken. I'm kind of apprehensive about it because I doubt I'll capture Bella the way Stephenie did, but I'll try to do my best. So watch out for it. **


End file.
